Cursed Blood
by Meowzy-chan
Summary: When Yuan moves to Meltokio, he gets a new apartment and an eccentric new neighbor. And all the problems that go with it. [Collab with Audinale55] [KxY]
1. Chapter One

((A/N:  
**Meowzy:** Hiya, and welcome to another K/Y collab by Meowzy and Sam!  
**Sam:** That's my line! Because it's the truth!  
**Meowzy:** As usual, we'll be doing the disclaimer first, just so we don't get sued or flamed.  
**Sam:** You know, the probablility of getting sued is like...a million to one...  
**Meowzy:** So what? We have to do this, ya know. So... Uhm... We don't own Tales of Symphonia or the characters!  
**Sam:** What she said...  
**Meowzy:** Like Pirates of Symphonia, this collab is set in an Alternate Universe!  
**Sam:** Yes, and if you have a problem with the plot of it, expect a nice trojan virus in your mailbox.  
**Meowzy:** Eheheheh... She's kidding. ... I think.  
**Sam:** Wow, I'm really bitchy today, aren't I?  
**Meowzy:** Nahhhh. You're sorta right. Flamers aren't appreciated. So... If you don't like guy/guy stories, don't read!  
**Sam:** I wasn't even talking about that, really...I was talking about the surprise plot.  
**Meowzy:** Why would anyone NOT like the awesome surprise plot?**  
****Sam:** I dunno... Maybe they don't like-  
**Meowzy:** Shhhh! Don't ruin it now.  
**Sam:** SQUEE! I can't wait!  
**Meowzy:** Me neither! So uhm... as a last note... This fic contains K/Y, implied lemons, bloody scenes and... lots of coffee.**  
****Sam:** Ooooooh...Blood!  
**Meowzy:** This is Meowzy saying; Enjoy!  
**Sam:** And this is Sam saying: I'm working on it! Don't kidnap me!))

* * *

Chapter One.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

Boxes. All around me were boxes. Filled with everything from socks to books to food.

I never want to see a box again in all my life.

Going along with that, I never want to move again. Too hectic, what with all the packing, moving, unpacking, rearranging, and adapting to a new life.

Actually I didn't even know why I was moving in the first place. Maybe I got tired of living in that small town. Maybe I decided I needed a change. Maybe I decided it'd be more efficient, since my best friend lives in Meltokio and I'm always traveling to see him. Or maybe something else led me here, I wasn't sure. But I'm here, and am now trying to move all my belongings from the street sidewalk -where the movers rudely dumped everything- to my fourth floor apartment.

Four times people have come up and asked me if this was a yard sale. And four times I have told them no, I wanted all my things up in my apartment, and if they objected they could help me. And they all ran off. Figures.

I picked through the boxes, looking for which one I should carry up next. I was trying to get everything that was of value off the street, since some shady guy seemed to have taken up leaning on the lamppost at the end of the corner. Yeah, it would be just my luck today to get robbed because some stupid idiot decided to just empty all my things out of a moving truck onto the street, and leave.

I grabbed the box with some of my fine china, and hefted it, feeling my arms slowly pulling out of their sockets. And I have to carry this up four flights of stairs? I tilted my head to look up at the window of my apartment. Even on the outside, it looked pretty far up.

I was probably going to have to buy some more dishes by the end of the day. Something else that comes right out of my pocket. I'm not rich, not by a long shot, and I doubt I ever will be rich.

Right, and I am standing here like an idiot thinking about it while my arms are slowly dislocating themselves. Stupid movers…

I sluggishly walked toward the entrance, pushing open the glass-plate door, and crossing the lobby, walking up the stairs.

Now, I wasn't really concentrating where I was going, and with a box in the way, you really can't see where you're going either. So it was a complete surprise when I crashed into somebody. I almost dropped the box with the heavy china on my feet, but the person caught it, helping me support it. I sighed in relief. My arms weren't screaming in pain anymore. I then poked my head around to see who helped me, and the person leaned to see me too.

He had reddish-brown hair, all spiked around his head -without hair gel, I might add- and covering his left eye. From his right eye, I could tell his eyes were a ruby color, and they were deep and soulful. His face looked chiseled by some famous sculptor, who used cream-colored marble to make him look incredibly handsome. He was wearing simple ripped jeans and a black t-shirt, but what stood out most was an eerie red pendant on a chain that hung around his neck. It was round and set into a gold base, and the jewel itself was cloudy. It looked like the cloudiness swirled around inside it.

"Hey, are you new here?" I tore my eyes from the pendant, startled, and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah… Stupid idiots who I hired as movers dumped everything down onto the street. I have to carry it all up to my apartment," I said, once again griping about my situation.

"I could help, if you wish. I have nothing better to do with my time," the man suggested, shifting the weight of the heavy box completely over to his arms and shoulders. I didn't know what to say.

"You don't have to-" But he was already making progress up the stairs, much faster than I had. I sighed, climbing the flight of stairs after him to make sure he didn't drop anything.

After telling him my apartment number, and him getting up all those flights of stairs without breaking a sweat, I finally introduced myself to him. It seemed rude to do so while he was carrying my box up about a hundred stairs.

"My name's Yuan," I told him, offering my hand. He grasped it with a firm hand, and shook it.

"Kratos Aurion. You said there were more boxes down there?"

I crossed the room, and opened up the window, gesturing down. "You tell me."

He walked over to the window, peering out at the street below, littered with literally dozens of boxes. "Ah… Seems we have our work cut out for us, ne?"

I nodded.

He followed me down the stairs, his gaze piercing my back. He was looking me up and down, as if he had never seen anything quite like me before. I rolled my eyes, before swinging over the banister and sliding down it. I had done things like this when I was a kid, and all I seemed to do was run up and down stairs. I got tired after a while, and started to slide down banisters. Right now I had three reasons. One, the stairs were _endless_. Two, the gaze he held on me freaked me out. And three, I just wanted to look cool. Though I'm not sure sliding down banisters is the way to look cool.

I have to admit; he kept up with me on the stairs, and got to the lobby only seconds after me.

"Wow, you're fast… I'm surprised you didn't trip running down those stairs."

Kratos shrugged. "I don't usually trip and fall, I think it's come from living here for so long. Oh, and as payment for the moving I'm helping you with, you're going to teach me how to slide down banisters."

I chuckled at him, before walking out the glass doors into the sunny afternoon. He followed me, wading through the box labyrinth.

"What does this box have in it?" he asked, pointing to a box stacked upon a few other boxes.

"Oh, uh…" I looked at the scratchy handwriting on it. "Oh, this has all my mom's stuff she left to me. Let's see… a couple of old vases, family heirloom stuff, and her cherished silver candlesticks," I said, ticking off things on my fingers.

"Perhaps I should let you carry that one up. I don't want to break anything important to you," he said, before looking at another box, squinting at my horrible handwriting. "I think this says books, I'll take this up," he told me, lifting the box and carrying it through the door. I shrugged, before picking up the box he was looking at before, and following him.

By the time the sun set, we had everything in my apartment, and most of the things were put away. For the first time in about three days of traveling, I could sleep in my own bed. I was happy about that one let me tell you. Kratos stayed for a bit longer, helping me put away all sorts of things, and cooked dinner. Well, he didn't really cook dinner; he just ordered pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, which happened to be my favorite.

Finally, he stood at the door; ready to go back to whatever apartment he called home in this building.

"Thanks for the help today, I really appreciate it," I told him, slightly sad to see him go. He stared down at me, his gaze once again catching me and reeling me in. He really did have deep eyes.

"Oh, it was no trouble, no trouble at all. I actually enjoyed it." He smiled at me, turning and walking out the door. I followed him, expecting him to go down the hallway towards the stairs, but he pulled out some keys from his pocket, and inserted them into the keyhole of the apartment next to me.

"Wait… You live right next to me?" I asked him, astounded. He opened the door, halfway inside, turning to me.

"Why, of course I live next to you. However else am I supposed to spy on you?" he said, his eyes full of mirth as he smirked at me, before going into his apartment and shutting the door. I stood in the hallway for the longest time, almost dumbfounded, staring at the wooden door into which he had disappeared.

After pulling myself together, I walked back into my own apartment, closing the door, and after hesitating, bolting the lock. You could never be too careful…

Although I was sure I would be seeing much more of Kratos. Much, much more.

* * *

((**Sam**: The suckiest beginning chapter ever.  
**Meowzy**: Oh, it was not! I loved it! Next chapter is Kratos' P.O.V., written by me! If you want to read it, leave reviews!)) 


	2. Chapter Two

((**Meowzy:** I simply couldn't wait any longer to upload this chapter! I'm so proud of it... Hey, thanks for the reviews so far! Glad people appreciate another collab of Sam and me! I hope we won't disappoint. Oh, my apologies for the girly aura Yuan has in this chapter. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I wrote this... I was too concentrated on Kratos' pervertness, I guess.))

* * *

Chapter Two.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

I smiled, letting myself fall back onto my bed. The chain around my neck rattled softly for a moment, before the pendant came to rest on top of my chest.

Yuan, hm?

He was a half-elf. I could easily tell. That kind of lush blue hair would never bless a human. Plus, his green eyes seemed almost pure. Then again, there was the possibility that he was an elf. But elves were known to be stuck-up egocentrical jerks, who'd prefer to hide themselves from the world. Yuan didn't seem to share a single one of those qualities, from what I could tell.

He was, I had to say, extremely gorgeous. Not to mention slender. He smelled nice too. I was going to have to find out more about him. If he proved to be gay or bisexual, which I suspected that he was, I could have a lot of fun with him.

I could already envision myself, moving to stand behind him, my arms snaking around his waist to pull him closer. He'd lean into my embrace, his eyes closing sincerely as his heartbeat quickened in anticipation. I would move my head down to nuzzle his shoulder, kissing the soft skin, and then-

Whoah, hold it right there, Kratos.

My fingers clenched around the cold pendant for a moment, trying to vanquish any further thoughts from my mind. I wasn't supposed to be thinking stuff like this.

I sighed, rolling onto my side. I was too exhausted to take off my clothes before falling asleep. Perhaps I shouldn't have dragged all those boxes up the stairs, but I think I was trying to show off. The things I do to get laid…

* * *

Much to my pleasure, it didn't take long for me to run into Yuan again. Just as I arrived on the first floor to collect my mail the next morning, I saw that Yuan was already emptying his own mailbox. 

"'Morning!" I called cheerfully, causing him to look up with a start.

"Ah… Good morning," Yuan gave me a small, almost nervous smile. "I didn't hear you coming."

"You were probably too absorbed in your mail," I commented, moving to stand next to him. My shoulder subtly brushed past his and from the corner of my eye I noticed he blushed in response.

"Yeah… I haven't even lived here for a day, and already I've gotten my first bill," he mumbled, staring blankly at the envelope.

"Tough luck." I pulled the mailbox keys from my pocket, shoving one into the lock. It opened with a click. "No letter from your girlfriend?"

That question immediately got the result I was hoping for. Yuan blushed before looking away.

"I don't have one," he spoke airily.

Fighting hard to suppress a smirk, I kept my gaze focused on the small pile of letters. "Oh, a boyfriend then?"

The almost inaudible spluttering sound Yuan produced was like music to my ears. Maybe I shouldn't mess with people that much… But it was just too much fun.

"No! I mean… Not that there's anything wrong with guys who have boyfriends, but… Well, you know. I don't…"

He was trying to justify himself before me? Interesting. If he was already making assumptions that I was gay myself, he must have some sort of feel for it. Then there was the fact that he was obviously still a virgin. I could _smell_ it. Adding that to the fact that he didn't have girlfriend, the answer to my little equation was very simple. Closeted homosexual.

I reached out and grabbed the letters from my mailbox before snapping it shut again, effectively causing Yuan to halt his stutterings. I'd found out all I needed to know.

"How about a tour of the city?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Huh?" he looked like he wasn't quite sure what to think.

"Meltokio is much bigger than a hick village like Ozette. If you don't know your way around the city, you'll get lost."

"Alright," Yuan nodded, before it hit him. "Wait, how did you know I'm from Ozette?"

"I saw your old address on one of the boxes," I smiled slyly at him, before heading for the stairs. "I'll meet you outside in ten minutes."

The way I left Yuan behind in the entrance hall, I was sure he was looking completely dumbfounded. He was _such_ an easy target.

* * *

When we finally returned to the apartment, it was around dinnertime. Already, the sun was starting to set. It was too bad, really. Meltokio looked so much nicer during the night… 

"I still can't believe there are three supermarkets…" Yuan muttered to himself as we reached the door to his apartment.

"There's three of just about any store." I gave a simple shrug.

"Hmmm…" the half-elf nodded absentmindedly, unlocking his door. He seemed to be debating something.

Wait for it…

"Can I make you dinner? To make up for the tour," Yuan offered.

Check and mate.

"You don't have to do that," I replied with a modest grin.

"I insist. I mean, you've done so much for me. I want to do something in return."

It was pretty easy to tell that Yuan was from a hick village. Here in the big city, people normally wouldn't be so trusting of strangers. Even when they do live next door.

"Well, what kind of a person would I be to turn down an offer like that?" I ran a quick hand through my hair.

Yuan pushed the door open, yet didn't seem to be comfortable with having me walk behind him, as he waited in the hallway. "Come on in."

"Alright." I passed by him, this time ensuring that I didn't make any physical contact whatsoever. Wouldn't want to scare him off, after all…

* * *

There I was, sitting in the living room section of Yuan's apartment. Already, I was making myself at home on his sofa. My feet were resting comfortably on the coffee table. Perhaps I should've considered taking off my thick leather boots first. Then again, taking off your shoes in someone else's home didn't exactly fall into the 'good manners' category, now did it? 

I was content with watching Yuan's ass as he stood with his back to me, busy cooking. Sadly, I was snapped out of my daydreams when a horrible smell reached my nose. A smell that, frankly, turned my stomach upside down. Trying to stop myself from gagging and breathing at the same time, I wandered into the kitchen.

"What are you making?" I asked, before wondering why my voice sounded so funny. It was probably because I was pinching my nose shut.

"Spaghetti with tomato sauce," Yuan replied, without looking back. "It's a recipe from my grandmother. It's got onion, garlic and ground beef in it too."

"I can't eat that," I said swiftly, averting my gaze from the red bile in the sauce pan.

Yuan turned, a slight look of hurt in his eyes. "Why not?"

"I'm allergic to tomatoes."

"Oh," his eyes widened slightly. "Well, I guess you can eat spaghetti without the sauce. But I can't guarantee it will taste good."

"That's okay. I'm used to it." Giving him a faint smile, I fled to the living room again. The smell was threatening to make me sick.

A little more than thirty minutes later, I was standing in the hallway, bidding Yuan farewell. Even though I had eaten my spaghetti stale, the half-elf himself didn't seem to want to hold back on the sauce. Guess who wouldn't be getting a kiss goodnight?

"I had a lot of fun today." Yuan's fingers were subconsciously fiddling with his shirt.

"Same here." I grinned at him. "We should hang out more often. If you want to, of course."

Yuan's gaze turned to the floor, then the far wall and then back to me. "Sure."

"Sweet dreams."

With that, I entered my apartment, snapping the door shut behind me. Yes… I was going to be having a lot of fun with him.


	3. Chapter Three

((**Sam:** IIIHHHHHHHHHHH!  
**Meowzy:** Uhm... What she said.))

* * *

Chapter Three.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

"Now, you wanted me to teach you how to slide down a banister, didn't you?" I asked him, standing at the fourth floor landing with his ruby eyes staring at me, interested. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit, and to mask it I turned my attention to the banister railing, swinging over it, like I always did, straddling it like a horse.

"All you have to do is hold on, and stop with your foot. It's not that hard," I told him, letting go of the banister to slide down at an alarming rate. When I finally reached the bottom, I put my foot between the end finial and me, stopping. About four seconds later, Kratos' body came crashing into mine and I barely kept my position on the banister, but I didn't fall, and he didn't let go of me, as he had put his arms around me to brace himself.

I blushed as he pulled me against his muscled chest, his freaky pendant digging into my back.

"You can let go now…" I said, fidgeting with my fingers. It felt good, but I wasn't exactly…comfortable with him being so close. And what if somebody happened to walk by and see us?

He, almost reluctantly, let go, and got down, helping me down, even though I didn't need help.

* * *

A few weeks after I had met him, he offered to take me to dinner. I wasn't sure what this meant, but I went anyway. 

When we got back, I stood in the doorway, looking at him.

"Well, tonight was fun. I'm glad I went." He smirked, before grasping my hand, and lifting it up, kissed it, sucking on the skin lightly, looking at me with those piercing eyes. I couldn't look away. They just caught you, and sucked you into them.

My eyes glazed over slightly at the feel of his lips on my skin, and a tongue flicked out to lick me.

"Mmmm… You taste good…" he said, turning over my hand to kiss my sweaty palm, tongue flicking to catch the salty taste of my sweat and my skin. I wasn't sure what to do but stare at him with that glazed stare.

He let go of my hand, and it fell to my side, limp. I could still feel the pressure of his lips on it.

"Goodnight. Sweet dreams," he told me, stepping into his apartment. Like the first day I met him, I stood there dumbfounded until I stepped into my apartment fully, closing the door, and locked it.

* * *

"Oh, you so like him, and you know you like him." 

"No, I do not, Botta," I told my friend irritably, sipping my cappuccino. He did make the best cappuccino I ever had, I have to tell you that. He smirked at me.

"You like him, and you want him to make passionate love to you."

I choked on my cappuccino.

"Who says?" I asked him, glaring.

"You do," he replied. "You're the one who lamented for about ten minutes about how he kissed your hand."

I scowled, staring into the cup's contents.

Did I really like him?

* * *

After about two months of knowing him, we went out for another date. And I knew I was falling for him. Hard. I almost anxiously awaited the kiss on my hand when the night was over. 

This time, when he returned me to my room, he kissed my hand again, but didn't stop there. He started to kiss up my arm, his lips pressing against the fabric of my coat and shirt, which I now wished weren't there.

He got to my shoulder and started to kiss my bare neck, after having pulled down the collar. He lingered there for agonizing seconds, kissing, sucking, almost _mouthing_ my neck. I moaned, tilting my head so he could have more access.

"You taste good…" he said, almost in a daze, his mouth lingering there, his heavy breathing blowing on my neck. Then, he abruptly kissed my jawbone, leaving my neck. He kissed to my lips, and when he got there, he pushed me against the door, pinning me as he kissed me, letting his tongue explore the inside of my mouth.

I laced my arms around him, kissing back willingly. I loved him. There, I said it. Whatever he could, and would do to me tonight I would enjoy with every fiber of my being.

He dug through my pockets, not breaking the kiss, looking for the keys to my door. When he finally found them, he opened to door, pushing me inside, and kicked it shut. He pulled off my overcoat, his hands now roaming over my clothes, feeling me through the thin layer of fabric. I moaned and pulled off his coat too.

Was it hot in here, or was it just me?

He barely got me to the door of my bedroom before he discarded my shirt there, dropping it in the doorway. His hands traced my spine, kissing me all over, but always for some reason returning to my neck, making me gasp out, because my neck was so sensitive.

He pushed me on the bed, toppling over onto me as he straddled me. He was doing all sorts of delightful things to me, making me moan out at the pleasure of it all. His hands and lips left my skin on fire, my breath coming in deep gasps. My heartbeat quickened and my blood started to boil from the total passion I was feeling.

From my vantage point, I could see his pendant hanging loosely around his neck, the red stone so cloudy it was hard to know whether or not it was a stone. The clouds swirled around sluggishly, like wine in a wineglass. But why was I thinking about that right now? Freaky pendant or no, I was being ravished by Kratos. Why should I worry about it?

My fingers started to undo buttons on his shirt, wanting to get it off to see his smooth, muscled chest. I finally got fed up with the buttons and ripped it off of him. I didn't know I could be so strong. I tossed his ripped shirt to the side of the bed, marveling at his chest.

Then… he froze, staring down at me, his hands on my shoulders. Was it just me, or did his eyes just turn a shade darker? But I couldn't leave those eyes. It was like I was a mouse caught in the hypnotic stare of a snake.

He laid down on me, his tongue flicking to the crook of my neck. He kissed my tender skin, making me incline my head away from him to expose more of my neck. Somewhere, a hiss sounded in the house. It sounded very close. Damn pipes… He started to breathe on my neck, his breath hot and moist. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, until I felt a stabbing pain. My eyes jarred open as Kratos literally sunk his teeth into my neck, drawing blood, which he started _drinking_.

Kratos… was a vampire!?

With a yell, I pushed him off of me. He fell backwards, just enough for me to wriggle out from under him. He seemed stunned, so I took off, grabbing my shirt and overcoat on my way out.

Putting them on in the hallway so quickly my arms were a blur, I tried to stem the flow of the blood as I took off down the hallway. I needed to get out of here. And there was only one place for me to go.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** Heeheeheeh... If you'd read the previous chapters properly, you could've seen it coming. There were quite a few hidden hints. But before you go back to see, leave Sam a nice review! _Or else_!)) 


	4. Chapter Four

((A/N: **Meowzy:** My turn again! Hurray! Thanks for the reviews so far, guys! I hope you'll enjoy!))

* * *

Chapter Four.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

I awoke from what seemed like a haze. I tried to clear my thoughts, but everything was like one big blur. What happened just now? What was that warm liquid, running down my chin? It tasted bitter…

That's when it clicked.

Yuan! Where did he go? I couldn't have…

I ran a hand past my mouth, trying to wipe the blood off my lips. At the same time, I felt that my fangs seemed to have grown slightly. I slowly pushed myself to my feet, turning to face a mirror behind me. My normally ruby eyes had turned crimson. The color of blood…

My pendant! Where did it go?

I started searching the room, pausing only when I found myself entranced by the blood-soaked sheets and pillow of Yuan's bed. A fervent shake of my head snapped me out of my stupor so that I could continue the search. Finally, I found the pendant lying next to the ripped remnants of my shirt. The chain had snapped.

Fuck…

I quickly hung it around my neck, attaching the clasp to a shackle of the chain that wasn't broken. Of course, this caused the chain itself to be shortened immensely and the pendant itself hung much closer to my throat than it usually would have. It wasn't the ideal solution, but it would have to do.

The second I'd put the pendant on, I felt the mist in my mind disappear. One quick glance in the mirror told me that my eyes were back to their original color and my teeth had returned to their normal length. The awful taste in my mouth, however, remained. A nasty reminder for what I had just done.

This couldn't be happening…

Yuan had run off, and there I was, in his apartment. So I did the only thing I could do. I cleaned up the mess I had made. Because I'd helped him settle in and his apartment was similar to mine, I knew where he kept his clean sheets and pillowcases. I remade the bed and threw the dirty sheets into the laundry basket.

After retrieving my shirt I debated what to do with Yuan's keys. I knew that he had a friend in the city somewhere, so he'd probably gone to meet him. But I couldn't wait here for him to return. I wouldn't. I shouldn't be here when he came back.

Finally, I decided to just lock the apartment. Then I wrote a little note, explaining that I'd left the keys in his mailbox and pasted that on the door before disappearing into my own little hideout.

* * *

I found myself lying on my bed again, staring at the ceiling. The pendant was now attached to a new chain and I clutched it so hard it was almost painful. 

It was going so well… I'd finally gotten him out of the closet. Heck, I was halfway getting him out of his clothes, but then…

What if I'd seriously hurt him? What if he was bleeding to death somewhere? What if I'd killed him? The thought alone made my stomach clench uncomfortably.

I wasn't even supposed to bite people. If anyone found out, I'd be in trouble. Big trouble.

A guilty little voice in the back of my head said that half-elven blood tasted pretty damn good. Why was I thinking like that? It could tempt me to bite someone again. I had to convince myself that drinking blood was bad. I _had_ to.

This was the first time it had happened. The first time I'd lost control. Basically, it was also one of the few times I'd taken off my pendant. It was there for a reason. To suppress my vampire urges. Yet, in the passion of the moment, I'd stopped paying attention to that. I hadn't even noticed that Yuan had ripped it off.

I'd have to stop seeing him. For his own good. I thought that maybe, with my pendant, it would be safe. Obviously, I'm still too dangerous to have around. Whether he liked it or not, we would have to part ways.

That thought also made my stomach squirm uneasily. I didn't want to lose him. Even though I didn't know how that well, he'd become so precious to me. I didn't think that I could even grow attached to another being, but… It happened anyway.

Maybe… Maybe I loved him.

That was all the more reason to stay away from him. I couldn't hurt him again. And then there was the curse to consider…

Stupid vampire blood! Even though I was only half vampire… Even though my mother was human… That other half of cursed blood had to ruin my life.

My fingers clenched around the pendant more tightly, but I barely noticed. If this kept up, I could end up like my father. He was killed only just after I was conceived, but I'd heard plenty of stories about him. His violent vampire nature had dictated his life and eventually caused his downfall. I didn't want to end up like him.

I turned over in my bed, facing the whitewashed wall. Yuan had told me that my house was too bright, and lacked a bit of darkness. Well, that's what he told me. Eager to please him, something I had picked up in the past few weeks, I told him I'd paint it. We had even picked out the paint color -a deep royal blue that reminded me of him- and we were going to paint it tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

There was no tomorrow. For him and I. I couldn't endanger him any longer, just for my selfish needs. I had started out just wanting him for sex, but I had ended up…

Loving him…

Is this what love felt like? A willingness to protect somebody, even though it meant giving that person up? I'd never been around anybody who was truly in love, my mother holding no love for my father, and sometimes even staring at me with mild hate in her eyes. I only reminded her of the vampire that had raped her and left her with me.

I could only remember being cold to the world, the world that could never understand me, and then there was Yuan. He is like my own tropical paradise. Was, Kratos… w_as_. You do not deserve his love anymore because you hurt him.

I truly did love him…

As I said before, it was all the more reason to try to let go. Perhaps I should even consider moving. For deep in my mind, I could feel the longing to taste his blood again. It was so sweet… like honey…

No!

I shut my eyes, banishing every thought, and sent myself into a self-induced sleep.

But his smile haunted me in my sleep that night.


	5. Chapter Five

((**Sam:** ... Eh?))

* * *

Chapter Five.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I knocked on the door, a flurry of flakes surrounding me. I had to wait a few minutes in the cold before the light came on. After all, it was two o'clock in the morning. Botta opened the door a bit, peering sleepily out of it.

"Oh, what's happened now?" He looked at me, then opened the door. "Okay, okay, I'll go make the cappuccino…" He shuffled off, leaving me in the doorway. I shrugged off my coat, followed him to the kitchen, and sat down.

"Now, do I really want to know what happened that has you at my house at two in the bloody morning?" I flinched at the word 'bloody', then calmly explained what happened, causing him to drop two full cups of cappuccino. After lamenting about the loss of good cappuccino, he cleaned up the mess, got two more cups and sat down at the table. By that time, I had almost fallen asleep, but woke up when I smelt the aroma of the best cappuccino in the world waved under my nose.

"So, I guess you're here to escape your vampire boyfriend/lover, huh?"

"He is not my lover!" I retorted angrily, staring into my cup.

"He was almost your lover. You were willing to let him into your pants, but he bit you before that. Too bad, I can't stand your virgin blush anymore," Botta said, casually sipping from his cup. I exploded at him.

"That's ALL you can think about? A vampire just bit me! I could turn into a vampire for all I know!"

"You haven't had any screaming or twitching fits, have you? All the stuff I've seen on it has like people screaming and twitching on the floor."

I looked at him. "No…"

"Then you're good. But just in case, I made sure I had a silver spoon," Botta told me. My eye twitched, but then I realized it wasn't worth it. I slumped in my chair, the whole night's events just catching up with me.

"I'm not sure what to do now, Botta. I love- loved him," I said, with just a bit of futility in my voice.

"Keep loving him then," Botta said, like it was something he said everyday. I gaped at him.

"He's- he's a VAMPIRE! How do you expect me to love a vampire?"

"Like he was normal. He loves you too, doesn't he? Then he must care about you. For all you know, it might have been an accident."

"Well-Well, he should have told me in the first place!" I said, trying to somehow find a counter argument for what Botta had just said. But deep in my heart, I knew it must be true somehow.

"Oh yes, you expected him to say as soon as he met you, 'Oh, and I'm a vampire who may suck your blood at one point.' You either would have laughed at him, or thought he was insane. Any other stupid arguments?" Botta asked, looking over the rim of his cup at me with a serious and stern expression. I sighed, flinging my arms out from my sides.

"Okay, okay, I give up. Yes, I love him, and yes, I want to keep loving him. Should I tell him that?"

"Of course you should. And you should go do it now, since I want to go back to sleep!" he shouted at me from across the table. I blinked, then looked at the clock. It was 4:30. The sun would be rising soon.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" I told him, setting down the cup and getting up to get my coat and leave. I looked back to see that Botta was already asleep with his head resting on the table.

By the time I got back to my apartment building, the sun was rising. I walked up the stairs, stopping at the fourth floor landing. I looked down the hallway at my door. It was too late to turn back now.

I walked briskly down the hallway, passing his room, and getting to my door. I turned the knob. Locked. I searched through my pockets, looking for my keys. Then it occurred to me I didn't have the keys.

I was locked out.

I looked down at the floor, and there was a white piece of paper. I bent down, my hair falling in my face, and picked it up. I pushed my hair behind my ear and read the note.

_'Your keys are in your mailbox._

_Kratos_' 

That's all he had to say!? The idiot. I looked at the door next to mine, and contemplated knocking and giving him a piece of my mind. But then decided that would have to wait until I got into my apartment and put on clean clothes.

After retrieving my keys, I opened the door to my apartment, stepping inside. I would have to go get my mail this morning. I would try to corner him then. I wasn't sure what would happen, but I had to take the chance.

I shut the door, and didn't lock it.

* * *

Later that morning, I was listening at my door for somebody opening their door in the hallway. Every time, I would peek out to see if it was Kratos. And it never was. 

After about an hour of waiting, I was drifting off to sleep, but was woken up when Kratos opened his door, and went down the hallway. Showtime.

I followed him after about a few seconds, pursuing him at a distance down the stairs. He finally got there, going towards the mailboxes. I stealthily followed him. I got five feet away from him before he went, "Hello Yuan." I crashed into a support beam. He walked right by me, still looking at his mail.

I glanced around, to see that the mailbox area was deserted, and screamed, "STOP IGNORING ME, YOU IDIOTIC VAMPIRE!"

"Idiotic, indeed," he murmured, before continuing to walk.

"So, what, you're going to pretend last night didn't happen?" I said, jumping to my feet. He ignored me again.

"I see now! I thought you loved me, but I guess you don't and maybe all you did want was sex! Stupid vampire…" I muttered. He didn't listen to me, or he did, and didn't care. He turned up the stairs and started climbing them. I chased after him, well, tried to, but he was already in his apartment by the time I caught up with him.

"Argh!" I yelled, and then sat down outside his door. I was being persistent, and I was going to continue to be persistent.

I knew he loved me, I knew he did. But it seemed that he might have lost his nerve. I was going to tell him that I still loved him, and that it didn't matter, or die trying.


	6. Chapter Six

((**Meowzy:** Hey hey! Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! My turn again! Enjoy that lovely old guilt-muffin, Kratos! Well, not really old in this story. But still... You know what I mean, right?))

* * *

Chapter Six.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

He was still out there. In the hallway. Waiting for me to come out so he could pester me again. I could sense it. I wasn't going to give in that easily though. There was no reason for me to go out just yet anyway, so why take a chance?

I stared fixatedly at my old typewriter, my eyebrows contracting. Great, all this drama had caused a writer's block. As if things couldn't get any worse.

I was a novelist writer. Writing romance novels might seem like a stupid job, but it was best suited for me. With my little… 'handicap', I was better off locked away in my apartment all day. Plus, for some reason, I was actually pretty good at it. Novels written by me were most popular with women between the ages of thirty and sixty. Housewives…

A glance at the clock told me it was now far into the afternoon. Leaning back in my chair, I reached for my cup of coffee. You'd think situation like this one would've provided inspiration. Sadly, all it did was distract me. I really couldn't focus on my own story anymore without thinking about Yuan.

… Empty? I didn't remember draining that cup… Then again, that might've been because I was on a full-blown caffeine rush. After last night's horrible dreams, I didn't really fancy falling asleep again.

I wandered into the kitchen to search my cabinets. Junk, junk, biscuits, junk… No coffee.

I opened a drawer. Junk, junk, chopsticks… That can opener I thought I'd lost… No coffee.

Ah no… I was going to have to go to the supermarket. I was going to have to go into the hallway. The hallway where he was waiting for me… There was no way I could go out the window. I may be half a vampire, but I'm not immortal. I couldn't just turn into a bat and _fly_ my way to the supermarket.

I grabbed my coat, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. Opening the door as silently I could, I swiftly stepped into the hallway and closed it behind me again.

… Silence.

I dared a glance to the side. Yuan was sitting on the ground next to my door, leaning against the wall. His head had drooped forward and his breathing was slow. He was… sleeping? Well, he probably hadn't had such a good night's sleep either. I'd probably scared him out of his wits.

That left me with quite a dilemma. I couldn't just _leave_ him there. Lord knows what could happen. He could catch a cold, or get robbed or something. I was going to have to wake him up and tell him to leave. But… what if he would freak out if I shook him?

Finally, I decided to simply nudge him with my foot from a safe distance. The first nudge was rather soft and caused his face to contort. During the second nudge, he muttered something about cappuccinos. The third nudge, placed between his ribs, caused his eyes to snap open. He glanced up at me with a blank expression.

"Go to bed," I hissed.

"No." he crossed his arms defiantly. "I'm not leaving this spot until we talk about what happened."

Why was he going through so much trouble? Couldn't he just accept I wasn't worth it?

"You're going to have to go to the bathroom eventually," I commented.

"Then I'll simply come back here afterwards."

"Fine, be that way." I turned to leave.

There was an immediate rustling as Yuan got to his feet. The next second, he'd reached out to grab my arm, pulling me back.

"Wait!"

I hissed angrily, turning around and wrenching my arm free from his grip. He seemed stunned for a moment.

"Can't you see this is for your own good?" I growled.

"You moron! What are you? Blind?" Yuan practically screamed. "I love you! And I can't stand being ignored by you! So whatever it is you're trying to do, it's backfiring!"

I stood frozen for a second, watching his expression. Even though he seemed angered by my behavior, there was still that sincere gleam in his eyes. Why did he love me? I nearly killed him!

"I'm trying to protect you, you idiot!" I growled through gritted teeth.

"What if I don't _want_ to be protected? What if I'd rather take my chances? Did you even consider that thought?" he urged, stepping closer.

I backed away. Why wouldn't he give up already? He was making me nervous.

"You do love me back, don't you?"

His eyes… They were too pure. That sweet scent of his blood was starting to reach my nose again. I couldn't answer that question! I couldn't stay here any longer.

I turned and took off at a run. It seemed Yuan was persistent to give chase though, as I heard his pounding footsteps behind me. When I reached the stairway I decided that the steps would take too long, so I jumped onto the banister, sliding down. I was going so fast the wind was whipping through my hair, but I didn't feel like slowing down. Using my foot to stop myself from crashing into the wooden decoration at the end of the banister, I jumped off, turned a sharp corner and hopped onto the next one.

All the way down to the first floor, I slid, but when I used my foot to stop myself from crashing one last time, I knew I had lost. His body crashed into mine a second later, a pair of arms wrapping around my chest.

"Gotcha," he said, breathing heavily.

I sighed, shaking my head. It was no good…

"Let go of me," I spoke softly.

"No." his grip grew stronger.

"If you don't let go, we can't get off," I explained.

"You're going to run again."

"I'm not going to run."

After a moment of hesitation, Yuan released me from his embrace. I hopped off the banister and watched him do the same.

"Is there no way I can persuade you to give up?" I tried, one last time.

"No," he replied firmly, his eyes narrowing. "Now answer the question."

I could have said that I didn't love him, but that would've been a lie. Plus, that would've made him miserable. I didn't want him to be miserable.

"Yes. I love you too." I looked away stubbornly.

"See? That wasn't so hard," Yuan said, and I was sure he was smiling.

"Are you sure… It's alright?"

"Look, it doesn't matter to me that you're a vampire, or whatever the hell you are. You're still you."

I glanced at him, hoping that he'd understand.

"I'm too dangerous to be around. If I lose control again-"

"If you lose control again, I'll hold a huge batch of garlic in your face. Or holy water… Or whatever it is that causes you to back off." Yuan grinned.

I chuckled, reaching out to brush a hand through his stray lock of hair.

"That stubborn nature is going to get you into serious trouble some day," I remarked.

"I don't care."


	7. Chapter Seven

((**Meowzy**: Sam refuses to give an author's note, so I guess it's up to me! Uhm... Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and eh... Enjoy.))

* * *

Chapter Seven.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I wasn't really sure what to say to him when we got to our respective doors. We hadn't talked on the way up, and it was just an uncomfortable silence that needed to be broken. He looked a tiny bit shy, if he wasn't sure it was okay to touch me, but also a bit sick, as if something was making him sick.

I blinked, looking at him slightly. His hand was frozen on his doorknob, his fingers gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white. As if he was trying to block out something, or trying to convince himself of something. I decided it was time for me to interfere again.

I gently reached out for him, massaging his shoulders, which were hunched up and tightened and every other thing that could be bad for his muscles. I could feel him slightly untense at my touch, but he didn't truly relax. Well, until he whirled around, pinning me to the wall. He started to kiss my neck feverishly, like exactly before, but now it had meaning to me. I trusted he wouldn't bite me, and if he did, there wasn't much I could do to stop it.

"Mmmm… I can smell your blood… It smells so good…" he said, his voice dazed, his nose rubbing against my skin. His hot breaths came against my neck, and I was reminded strongly of last night. I moved my head to the side, letting him get more a surface, if he so desired. I wasn't really sure if he would bite me, or if he would back off.

The latter proved to be true as he abruptly pulled away, turning away from me, shaking. I followed him, turning him back around.

"You're such an idiot… Don't run away…" I said, grabbing the front of his coat, and pulled him down for a kiss. My tongue explored his mouth, rubbing up against his tongue and teeth, feeling the sharpened fangs in his mouth. Well, they weren't that big now, I guess they grew when he actually bit somebody, but they were definitely not like normal people's teeth.

He broke away, stroking my cheek. It felt so nice, like some sort of soft sheet was rubbing against my face.

"Don't you think we should go inside?" he asked. I nodded, twining my fingers with his. Thinking back to when I was at Botta's house, I'm not sure how I could have ever been afraid of him. He may be a big, bad vampire, but he's such a teddy bear when you got past that. I could probably bend him around my little finger if I wanted to.

He led me inside him apartment and sat me down on the fluffy chair in his living room I like so much.

"I'll be right back," he told me, before drifting off, taking my coat with him. I looked around at all the things in his house. You would never think that this was the house of a vampire… I noticed an old-fashioned typewriter sitting on the desk, and, looking to see if he was in sight, tiptoed over to it. I sat down, looking at what was written on the piece of paper. I blushed a bit at the content on that paper, but then was aware of the shadow that had fallen over me.

I turned around, looking over my shoulder at Kratos, then tilted my head at him.

"Before you ask, I'm a novelist. And I usually write romance stories, hence the explicit content. But I can't seem to write anything anymore, since all I can think about is you," he said, cupping my cheek with his hand.

"Kratos… I want to talk to you about…" I trailed off, not sure how to say it.

"About me being a vampire?" he asked, smiling faintly at me. I nodded, not sure what to say. He pulled over a chair, sitting down.

"Well, I guess I should tell you I'm half-vampire… Mom was a human who didn't get bitten, my father just raped her…"

"Is that why you can resist?" I asked him.

"Well, part of the reason. The other reason is my pendant. It stops me from being…no other word for this…vampire-ish, and I don't bite people, or even look remotely like one."

So that's what's with that pendant…but wait…

"Your pendant wasn't on you last night, at least when you bit me, so… When I ripped your shirt off, it came undone…"

"I noticed. I found it on my ripped shirt. Don't worry, I have it on now," he said, pointing at the reddish pendant on his chest. I smirked, climbing onto his lap.

"So, all I have to do to get you to sensuously bite me and make passionate love to me after is to take off your pendant?" I asked innocently, playing with the chain.

"Don't you dare… I don't want to hurt you again," he said, growling at me. I continued to play with the chain.

"But…if you are not a vampire now, why are you fascinated with my neck?"

"Well, some things leak through… Like how I can remember what your blood tastes like… it's sweet, like honey, and I have the faintest notion in the back of my mind right now to pull off my pendant and sink my teeth into you, literally and figuratively. Although, the figuratively part is closer to the surface, since it doesn't really have anything to do with me being a vampire…"

I looked up at him; a little bit of a blush when I realized what he was talking about appearing on my face. My fingers traced the muscles rippling beneath his shirt.

"Why don't you then?" I asked him. He started to splutter.

"Why are you so hell-bent to get bitten by me?" he asked me, a frown set on his face.

"I want to make you happy…" I sighed, leaning my head on his chest so I could hear his heartbeat. It thumped at a fast pace, either showing he was angry, or he was giving into me.

"Just seeing you safe and happy makes me happy," Kratos said, stroking my hair lovingly.

"But you're not truly happy, are you? You still long to taste my blood, don't you?" He shifted under me, and I could tell he was turning away.

"I don't want to turn into a blood-crazed maniac like my father was. It got him killed."

"I won't let you… If you ever turn into that, I'll bring you back…"

"You might not be able to, love… I've heard stories, all sorts of stories about it. Vampires massacring entire towns of people, vampires going insane and killing lovers, themselves, and anybody else… the police say they died of 'mysterious circumstances' but it's easy to tell if you know what you're looking for. I don't want that to happen…"

"Neither do I. I won't ask again, Kratos, I'm sorry…" I told him, and my voice was sincere.

"Don't worry about it. Now, that that's over…" He picked me up easily, making me jump in surprise. "It means I can sink my teeth into you figuratively, unless you're opposed to it?"

I didn't say anything, just shifted in his arms so I could run my hands over his chest.

"I didn't think so," he said smugly, before carrying me into his bedroom, and shutting the door.


	8. Chapter Eight

((**Meowzy**: Whoops, I think I might be a day late. Ohwell. Oh, also, because Spiritua ordered me to do this...; If you're looking for Forsaken's sequel, it's on her account. It's called Perplexity. Check it out!

Now, back to the collab in question...))

* * *

Chapter Eight.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

The next day, I awoke to feel Yuan shifting in my grasp. Keeping my eyes firmly shut, I instinctively pulled him closer, hoping to continue sleeping. He shifted again and I felt a hand press against my thigh.

"Kratos… We have to get up," Yuan whispered in my ear.

"Nggh…" was all I could say, burying my face in his neck.

"It's past eleven o' clock," he stated.

I ignored him, breathing deeply. His long hair was tickling my face and I could smell his sweet blood again… It was such a nice feeling. I didn't want it to end just yet.

"I'm getting up now." Yuan broke himself free of my embrace. Immediately, I felt his warmth disappearing and tried blindly to grab him, groaning in protest. He'd already moved out of my reach.

Reluctantly opening my eyes, I watched him sit on the edge of the bed. His long silky hair fell past his shoulders and into his face, but I could see him stare ahead sleepily. A smile tugging at my lips, I sat up and moved to sit behind him, wrapping my arms around his chest.

"Not again…" Yuan mumbled, yet he couldn't help but lean into my touch.

Brushing his hair out of the way, I started to kiss his neck. Gently brushing my lips past that soft skin. I felt a deep urge to sink my teeth into him, but like last night, I managed to resist. I bet that if it weren't for that pendant, Yuan would have been drained of his blood three times now.

"Kratos… Breakfast," he said, a bit more firmly this time.

I stopped kissing him, resting my forehead on his shoulder. "Fine…"

I broke off and glanced around the room. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, highlighting the enormous chaos. Clothes were scattered around the ground and a lamp had been knocked over by a stray pair of pants. But I supposed I must look like an incredible mess myself.

"I'll take a quick shower and then the bathroom is all yours." I pushed myself off the bed, getting to my feet.

"Kratos?" Yuan glanced up at me innocently. "Can I… take a shower with you?"

I really did mean to object to that question. Yet, somehow, the image of Yuan's naked body, dripping with water from the shower, made its way into my head. By the time I'd even realized I'd just said 'yes', Yuan was already leading me into the bathroom.

When we were entered the kitchen, it was already half past twelve. Instead of saving time, showering together assured that it took even longer than usual. On the other hand, feeling Yuan massage shampoo into my hair had been worth it.

As Yuan sat down at the table, I opened one of the cabinets. Junk, junk, biscuits, junk… Oh no…

"I forgot to get coffee yesterday…" I groaned deeply.

"So there's… no coffee at all?" Yuan tilted his head slightly.

"Not a single drop."

"Well, that's not a problem. I know where we can get the best cappuccinos in the city." he gave me a confident smile.

What? He'd only lived here for about a month and already he knew where to get the best cappuccinos in the city? Strange…

* * *

An hour later, I found myself standing outside the front door of a small house. Yuan was pressing the doorbell fervently. So, this was where Yuan's friend lived… 

The door opened, revealing a half-elf with spiky black hair. He looked, with lack of a better description, rather disgruntled.

"Don't tell me it happened again…" he raised an eyebrow at Yuan.

"No, no. Kratos ran out of coffee. That's all," Yuan assured him.

The half-elf looked up at me with a fixated stare. "So, you're Kratos. Funny, you don't look like Yuan's type at all."

I smiled, watching a violent blush appear on Yuan's face before he glared at his friend. "Go make yourself useful and get some cappuccinos for us."

"Okay, okay." Botta sighed, rolling his eyes. Then he glanced around. "I'm not sure if that whole vampire invitation thing is true or not, but in case it is… You're hereby invited to enter my house."

"Thanks, but that really _was_ a story made up to ensure that little children don't invite strangers into their houses." I laughed, following a certain blue-haired half-elf, who was currently busy face-palming, inside.

Not too long after that, I was sitting around a table with Yuan and Botta, each one of us clutching a big mug as we discussed vampire trademarks. I had to admit, the guy really _did_ make a fine cappuccino.

"You really can't stand garlic?" Botta looked at me over the rim of his cup.

"I really can't stand garlic. The faintest smell of it makes me nauseous." I nodded, confirming his suspicions. "Also, I can't touch anything made out of silver. But a lot of other facts about vampires are just made up."

"So you don't turn into ash when you step into the sunlight?" Botta questioned.

"How else did you think he got here?" Yuan asked in response, sounding a bit impatient.

"Oh, right. Then… how about that bat transformation thing, or sleeping in a coffin?" the half-elf continued interestedly.

"Bats are a no-go. Also, as Yuan found out last night, my _bed_ is quite comfortable." I grinned, leaning back in my chair.

Yuan started coughing loudly, having choked on his cappuccino.

"Finally lost the virginity, have you? About time." Botta patted him on the back.

"Yeah, yeah…" Yuan grunted.

"Well, I have to say… Even though you met under weird circumstances, you two make a cute couple." Botta nodded wisely. "Though, Kratos, next time you bite Yuan, make sure it's during the day. I don't want him standing on my doorstep in the middle of the night again."

"Ah… I'm sorry." I stared blankly at the contents of my mug.

A small silence fell. A silence that was broken when Yuan nudged me in the ribs. "That was a joke…" he whispered.

"I know." I looked up at him, peering into those emerald eyes. "It's just… I really am sorry."

Yuan blinked, before moving his chair closer to mine. Then he leaned his head against my arm blissfully. "I know you are."

"Me and my big mouth again… Always causing awkward situations," Botta muttered.

* * *

By the time Yuan and I made our way back to our apartments, the sun was starting to set. Most of the street was already cast in darkness. We'd spent a large part of the day at Botta's house, talking about various things. Now, however, it was time to go home. 

"I still say we should have pizza for dinner," Yuan stated stubbornly.

"But we should have something healthy for once," I objected.

"Healthy be damned. You only live once. Plus, I like pizza."

"Or we could just skip dinner and immediately get started on the dessert." Grinning widely, I stopped walking, grabbed Yuan and pulled him closer, brushing my lips against his.

I heard Yuan chuckle softly, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. I was just about to wrap my arms around him when I froze, listening intently. Someone was nearby, just out of sight. Someone who was trained in staying hidden, judging from the way he was masking his breathing.

I could tell Yuan was starting to get confused by my sudden lack of response. Careful not to make any sudden moves, I slowly pushed him away before turning to the alleyway across the street. Yuan followed my gaze, frowning.

"Who's there?" I called, narrowing my eyes.

For a short moment, there was nothing. Then, I heard a clicking sound and saw a small flame illuminate the darkness. A man stepped out of the shadows, dropping something in the pocket of his long trench coat before crossing his arms. His face was mostly covered by bangs of long blonde hair. A brown rimmed hat was pulled deeply over his head. As he crossed the street, the steps of his thick leather boots echoed through the silence. I moved to stand in front of Yuan protectively.

Peering straight into my eyes, the man removed the cigarette from his mouth to speak.

"Like father, like son, eh?"

* * *

((**Meowzy:** Sooo... Who is this mysterious blonde? I'm sure you all know him already. Meheheheh... Stay tuned for Sam's next chapter, which is totally one of the best chapters everrr.)) 


	9. Chapter Nine

((**Meowzy:** Apparently, I know Sam too well for guessing that she doesn't have an author's note. But you must all lavish her in riches anyway! ... or reviews. Either is good.))

* * *

Chapter Nine.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I looked back and forth between Kratos and the strange man, who seemed to be staring intently at each other.

"I could say the same for you, Mithos Yggdrasill," Kratos said, almost snarling the name. The man took a drag off of his cigarette, blowing the smoke at Kratos.

"Yes, my father did kill your father, so I guess it's only fitting." He laughed, and it sent a chill down my spine.

I managed to get out from behind Kratos, but he grabbed me before I went too far. I managed to ask, though, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, are you the one he bit? And you're defending him? How cute, you two must be lovers. But, I'm afraid he broke the treaty."

Kratos flinched at that statement. I glared back and forth between them.

"You haven't even told him _that_, Kratos? I'm surprised at you," he said, smirking. I could tell he was taunting Kratos, as if trying to get him to rise and get mad, or maybe to make him feel three inches tall.

"You see, after my father killed his father, Kratos' mother, pregnant with him, asked my father to make a treaty. He agreed, and Kratos got that little bauble he's wearing now. Of course, the treaty's broken if he bites anyone. I got wind that he did, and here I am. I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill him now."

I gasped, looking at Kratos.

"I knew you would. I thought that he wouldn't be here, but- Promise that you won't hurt him?" Kratos asked.

What? He's going to…let himself be killed?

"On my honor as a vampire hunter," Mithos said, crossing his heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Fine then." Kratos said, stepping forward.

No… No… NO!

"NO!" I screeched, grabbing onto his arm. He whirled around, and I saw tears pooling in his ruby eyes. "No… No, you can't… YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALL ALONE! You promised!"

He did promise, last night, as we lay together after our act of love.

* * *

"Kratos, will you stay with me forever?" I asked sleepily, clinging to his still sweaty body. His pendant dug into my chest, but I was almost glad it did. He stroked my hair, tangling it between his fingers. 

"I promise love. You will never be alone again."

I sighed blissfully, snuggling in next to him. I can be with him forever and ever…

* * *

"You promised, dammit! That promise didn't mean anything, did it? You KNEW this was going to happen, didn't you?" I clung to him, tears streaming down my face. I turned to Mithos, looking at him. 

"Please, it was just an accident. It was actually my fault. Please don't kill him. Can't you let him go? With the pendant, he's totally harmless. Can you just give him another chance?" I felt Kratos put his arm around my shoulders, squeezing gently. I wanted to throw him off, the damn liar, but I still loved him. Even though he lied, I loved him. He lied… almost to protect me. But his protection always seems to do more harm than good.

"Harmless with his pendant on, eh?" Mithos asked, dropping his cigarette, and stepping on it. He looked as if he was considering something, but then he smiled sadistically. I felt Kratos' grip on me tighten, and he was ready to push me out of the way if necessary. I wouldn't go though. Anything we faced, we faced together.

I didn't even see it; it was just a flash in my mind. But a second later, I heard a delicate snap and then red shards were flying everywhere. One cut me on the cheek as it flew by. I looked up, and knew what had happened instantly.

Mithos had darted forward, snapped the chain that Kratos' pendant was on, and threw it to the alley wall. It smashed, of course, into a million different pieces, one of them drawing unwanted blood from me.

Mithos smirked, and I felt Kratos grab my hand and run. I followed, trying to stem the blood flow from my cheek. He wasn't in total control of his actions anymore. He could bite me now.

And for some reason, the thought thrilled me.

I wasn't sure when we stopped running, but Kratos let go of my hand, drifting off away from me, his back turned. He was afraid, or he was battling his vampire self for control. I wasn't sure if I should follow him or not. I was still trying to stop my cut from bleeding; perhaps it wasn't safe to go near him. I took my sleeve off of it, to see it, and that in itself was a bad idea.

Kratos stopped, his whole body going rigid. I tried to stop the blood flow with my hand, smearing it instead over my hand and my face. He whirled around; his eyes blood red with almost madness in them, and his fangs, jutting out from his upper lip. A loud hiss came from him, as he licked his lips.

I closed my eyes, letting my hand fall to my side. Blood ran down my cheek, unchecked, droplets dripping down onto my neck. There was no way to escape. I took in a deep breath, waiting for it.

I didn't have to wait long, as I felt his presence in front of me. He grasped my hand and started to lick the blood off of it sensually, his tongue flickering in-between my fingers and tracing my lifelines. I relaxed a bit at the feel of his tongue, and enjoyed it.

Next, he started to lick the blood off my cheek, catching droplets on his tongue, kissing the blood trickling down my face away, and slightly sucking on the wound. I gasped as he nipped at lightly, not using his fangs, per se, but opening it slightly, or was he closing it? I couldn't tell anymore; his sensual tongue and kisses were making my mind melt. I knew they probably weren't for me. His vampire self was in love with the blood that ran through my veins, not me. But that didn't mean I couldn't pretend it was him, kissing away the blood, comforting me.

I felt my collar get slightly peeled away, giving a clear shot at the soft skin of my neck. He kissed it lightly, his tongue tracing my neck bone. His hot and heavy breath blew on my neck, a slight hiss accompanying it. I let out the breath I had been holding.

His fangs sunk into my neck, stabbing at my flesh. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer as the blood welled out of the wound, and he started to drink it, the slight sound of slurping coming to my ears.

It struck me as so…erotic, so sensual, so dark and seductive, that I moaned, arching into his body. He pulled me closer, pressing our hips together, grinding them. I cried out, putting my arms around him, my face starting to flush.

"Oh gods…Kratos…" I murmured, feeling him nip slightly at my neck again drawing my lifeblood out of my body and into his wanton mouth.

It suddenly stuck me, that with drinking my blood, all he was doing was making me love him more.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** -_gargling sound_- Sooo... Hot...)) 


	10. Chapter Ten

((**Meowzy:** Here we go. Chapter ten! I think a lot of Kratos/Yuan fans might be on holiday or something, because there was a drop in reviews. Anyway, updating is going to be slowed a bit due to writersblock for later chapters. Should be fixed soon. ... Hopefully.))

* * *

Chapter Ten.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

Darkness. A warm liquid was running down my chin. My lips pressed against soft skin. It all seemed so familiar. And natural…

A thick mist filled my head. Thicker than ever before. It was red, almost a deep crimson. I couldn't string proper thoughts together anymore. Except for one.

Yuan… He was right here, in my embrace. My arms wrapped around his waist. His scent reaching my nose. His sweet taste filling my mouth. Nothing else mattered. I had Yuan.

"Kra… tos…"

My eyes widened and the feeding halted. His voice sounded so weak. So drained of life. I was… killing him!

Gagging, I pushed him away as quick as I could. He stumbled before falling backwards completely. Blood was running down his face, his shoulder, his chest… Staining his clothes… My hands were covered in it as well. As I ran a sleeve past my mouth, I found it soaked.

What was I _doing_?

I tried to get rid of the haze in my mind but found myself unable to. Even when I closed my eyes I could still smell the blood. I could still taste it. The vampire inside me was fighting desperately to break out of its cage and finish the job, but I couldn't let it. I had to resist it with all the willpower I had in me. For Yuan's sake.

I let myself fall to my knees beside him, feeling his pulse with shaking hands. Already, it was starting to slow down. I had to… I had to save him!

What could I do? I couldn't take him to a hospital. Not like this… The both of us covered in blood, and Yuan with deep bite marks in his neck. They'd think we were part of some weird cult.

Botta! Botta could help. He was a doctor or something like that. He'd know what to do!

I scooped Yuan into my arms, fighting the urge to sink my teeth into him a second time and lifting him from the ground. There wasn't any time to waste.

* * *

A short run later, I found myself outside Botta's house again. I was incredibly thankful that it was dark. Chances were, nobody had seen me sprinting past. But that was only third place in my top three of problems. First place being the fact that Yuan was dying, and second the horrible notion that Mithos was still out there somewhere. 

I started pounding Botta's front door with my fist furiously. The lights were still on. He couldn't have gone to bed yet.

There was a soft click and the door swung open to reveal Yuan's half-elf friend. The tired expression in his eyes turned to pure shock when he saw what I was carrying in my arms.

"What… What did you-…?" he spluttered, obviously dumbstruck.

"Don't just stand there! Help him!" Without waiting for an answer, I pushed past him, kicking the door shut behind me.

"Ah… Just put him on the sofa," Botta said shakily, before running off.

Silently, I did as I was told; I gently laid Yuan down on the sofa, making sure he was comfortable. Blood started to soak into the cushions. I turned away, biting my bottom lip. In hindsight, that was not such a good idea, seeing as my fangs were still such an abnormal size.

Botta returned, carrying a small suitcase. He kneeled down next to Yuan, taking in the damage. Producing a thoughtful clicking sound with his tongue, he opened the first aid kit and rummaged through it.

"I think his cheek needs stitches, but… I'm not an expert when it comes down to things like this," He muttered. "Also, we need to stop the bleeding."

"Alright…" I moved closer to the window and peered outside, away from Yuan. It was no good, I could still smell his blood. The thought that I'd drank it made me sick to my stomach.

Without my pendant… I was a monster. I probably looked like one too. Yuan should've just let Mithos kill me and get it over with. Or maybe I should have never made that promise with him. What had I been thinking?

Now I was stuck. He wouldn't let me die. Not for the world. But if this kept up, who would be the first to die? With Yggdrasill hot on my trail and my strange vampire urges, it was only a matter of time before one of us would…

Perhaps… Perhaps this was the work of the curse. I'd been right. It wasn't safe to have me around. I should've stuck to the plan of avoiding Yuan. Then he wouldn't have been… I wouldn't have…

Letting out a barely audible grunt, I sat down in a chair and buried my face in my hands, the haze in my mind trying to swallow me again. A strange red blur started to cover my vision.

* * *

"Kratos?" 

I shifted, moving my fingers to peer at Botta. "Hm?"

"I finished the stitching just now. I also bandaged Yuan's neck," Botta spoke.

I started, my eyes widening. "What? When?"

"Just now." Botta blinked. "Bandaging alone took me about ten minutes, otherwise I would've finished sooner."

"… What?" My eyes darted to the nearest clock, yet it didn't really have that much of a point. I didn't know what time it was when I arrived here. "How long… did it take all together?"

"Almost an hour, I think," Botta said, also glancing at the clock. "I wasn't sure whether to ask you for help or not, but you were just kinda sitting here, spacing out, so I decided to leave you alone."

Spacing out? I'd been spacing out? To me, it didn't feel like an hour had passed. It felt more like two minutes.

"How is he?" I asked in a hoarse voice, turning in my seat to glance at Yuan. He'd been cleaned up for the most part, but I could still smell the remnants of blood. The scent probably came from me too.

"He'll live." Botta scratched the back of his head. "But what happened? Where is your pendant?"

I ran a hand across my chest, painfully obvious of the fact that my pendant was no more. It was not coming back this time. It was…

"Broken," I grunted.

"You broke it?" Botta's eyes widened.

"Let me rephrase that. A vampire hunter broke it." My eyes narrowed.

Botta seemed just as dumbstruck as before. "Vampire hunters actually exist?"

"Well, yeah. My mother made a treaty with their family before I was born." I gave an impatient wave of my hand.

"A treaty?"

"People with vampire blood can make treaties with vampire hunters. As long as they don't bite anyone, they fall under the hunter's protection and no other hunter can touch them. It's usually in the vampire's best interest to get a treaty, but most of them are too proud." I rolled my eyes to the ceiling.

"Oh… Okay…" Botta shifted uneasily on his feet.

Was he scared of me? Probably. I must've looked like something out of a horror movie. My attitude wasn't making things any better either. There was only one thing to do now…

"Have you got any garlic in the house?" I asked, looking up at him.

"What?" he seemed to have been caught completely off-guard. "Uh… No. Not at the moment."

"How about silver?"

"What kind of silver do you mean? Cutlery? Or jewellery?" Botta questioned.

"Anything you can get your hands on," I responded, pushing myself to my feet.


	11. Chapter Eleven

((**Meowzy:** Chapter eleven already, eh? We're makin' progress!))

* * *

Chapter Eleven.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I woke up, groaning, and pushed myself off of what I was lying on. My hand went to my head, because it felt like it was filled with air. My mind couldn't piece together coherent thoughts… I couldn't remember what happened.

My heartbeat pounded in my skull, distracting me from my thoughts. Wait… heart… Blood… Blood! …KRATOS!

I flew up into a sitting position, taking in my surrounding. I was in Botta's house… on his couch. That was soaked with blood. I touched my neck, to feel gauze bandages wrapped around it. My hand probed to my cheek, and stitches were set into the cut, closing it up.

I still felt a little lightheaded, so when I tried to stand up, I came crashing back down onto the couch, dizzy beyond belief.

"Oh, so you're finally up, huh?" I looked up at the three Bottas that were standing in front of me.

"Ugh…" I said, swaying left and right. Next thing I knew, a cup of cappuccino was forced into my hands.

"Drink it. The caffeine will wake you up, and the extra sugar I put in it will help get your sugar levels back up. Oh, and eat this too." He gave me a cookie, before walking off to get something else. It occurred to me that this is usually what they give somebody that donates blood, well, the cappuccino would be juice, but I like the cappuccino better. I sipped at it, taking a bite out of the cookie.

I looked around, my eyes flickering all over the room. Where was Kratos? He was here, wasn't he? Unless… He went back to get Mithos to kill him… Oh no…

I stood up, almost upsetting the tray I hadn't noticed before, before Botta came back and pushed me down again.

"Don't worry, Kratos is fine. Well, he's fine physically, but I'm not sure if he is mentally. I mean, more than the usual vampire blood madness. He's locked himself in the spare bedroom, and had me set all sorts of silver things around the door so he wouldn't be tempted to get out."

"Well, then, I'll just sit outside the door and wait for him to come out. I've done it before… Only I wasn't so weak then…" I got up, gingerly stepping towards the hallway, bringing a few cookies with me. I kicked the silver spoons, knives, forks, and jewelry away from the door and sat down. Well, I didn't really sit, I more of collapsed gratefully in front of the door.

I wasn't sure if he heard me or not, but I sipped at my cappuccino and ate a few cookies sitting there. In fact, it seemed to help, because I got less and less lightheaded as time wore on.

I had been waiting for almost two hours when Botta walked by, casually 'dropping' the keys in my lap.

"Oops, did I do that? Oh well…" He zipped on, probably to start making cappuccino for when I had coaxed Kratos out of the room.

I stood up, much easier that I had the first time, and fumbled with the keys. Finally, I found the right one and opened the door. My eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room, to see Kratos curled up on the bed, sleeping. I walked over to him, looking at his face. So sweet… His face was so peaceful. I caressed his cheek with the back of my hand, and he made a little noise, a cross between a mewl of pleasure and a whimper.

My poor sweet vampire…

I leaned down and kissed him on the lips, slightly tasting blood on them, but just slightly. His eyes flickered open and he stared at me for a few seconds, before trying to get away. I grabbed his shirt, gently tugging at it.

He faced away from me, probably to hide his ashamed and self-loathing expression from me. I tugged more forcefully, pulling him towards me.

"Talk to me, please…" I said, almost begging him. He shook his head and mumbled something. I pulled him closer, asking him, "What was that?" He was close to me, so I could hear him perfectly now.

"Monsters don't talk."

My eyes widened, looking at his downcast expression, his face shadowed by his hair.

"Kratos, you're not a monster, do you hear me? You're _not_ a monster," I said, pulling him to face me. His crimson eyes stared back, as if daring me to say it again.

"Well, then, what am I? I almost _killed_ you, Yuan! And I can still feel it, in the back of my mind, a red mist that almost screams for your blood. It won't have any other than yours! I'm going to kill you Yuan! I know I am someday…" Tears welled up in his eyes and he started to sob. I pulled him close, hugging him. I wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but I did anyway.

He buried his head in my neck, inhaling deeply my scent. I closed my eyes, trying to still the fears in my mind. They were there, however much I loved him…

He nuzzled my neck, kissing at the soft skin that wasn't covered by bandages. I was thinking he was losing control, but he then pulled away, an amazed expression on his face.

"I didn't…" A slight smile crept onto his face, before he started to nuzzle my cheek, his nose rubbing up against my soft skin.

He seemed to know his boundaries, and wouldn't cross them. Like my first time making love to him will probably be my last time… I'm not sure if he could get through it without getting the horrible urge to bite me in a fit of passionate love. Unless we could somehow find a way to get around it.

"See, you aren't a monster. Would a monster be able to show me their feelings, or even nuzzle me at all?" I asked, stroking his cheek. He leaned back up, his thumb tracing the stitches on my face. There would be a scar; we both knew…a long scar that reached from the side of my face across my cheek to my nose. A reminder of what he had done to me.

"They why do I feel like one?" he asked, closing his eyes, seeing something that I could not. I tilted my head at him. He took a deep breath, and started to talk.

"I don't remember much…but when I first came to my senses I remember thinking that I had you… your scent surrounded me, your sweet taste drowned me, your body pressed up against mine thrilled me… I had you, and nothing mattered. Until I realized I was killing you… when you said my name… I'm not sure if you remember it… I almost drained your life force from your body… There was blood everywhere, and I can remember how pale you were and the red all over you… It was like pure snow stained with blood."

I looked at him with rapt attention. He _never_ talked like this. And no, I didn't remember it. I became delirious sometime after he started to bite me.

"You couldn't understand…what I felt like. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The first time I bit you didn't even come _close_. It just… you wouldn't understand," he told me, shaking his head.

I was desperate for him to tell me. Maybe I could help him somehow.

"Please… You can help me understand…" I said, catching his hand and holding it.

"It's not to be taken lightly Yuan…" he said, turning away. I followed his head, staring into his crimson eyes.

"Please…" I asked again, staring him right in the eyes. He turned away again.

"All right. But don't say I didn't warn you…" He took a deep breath, and began to talk. He talked for almost an hour straight, about things from the red mist in his mind down to the littlest thing.

His head rested on my shoulder, talking against my soft skin. I could feel the vibrations in his throat from his voice box, and his steady heart beat thumping through his chest. And I held him, comforting him as he told me about the living hell that was a vampire's life.

And I cried.


	12. Chapter Twelve

((**Meowzy:** My turn again! Heh, I loved this chapter. It's the introduction of... Well... One of the funniest characters in this AU. And I'm sure we all know him!))

* * *

Chapter Twelve.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

I sat at the table in the living room, my hand buried in my hands. The red mist had returned. It was flowing through my mind, trying to overtake me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was producing a sort of strange whooshing sound in my ears. A week ago, I'd never have guessed that the pendant had this much effect on me. Strange that you never realize what you have until it's gone, huh?

I heard footsteps approaching me, and the next moment I sensed that Yuan had joined me at the table. He'd sat down a bit slower than usual, probably because he didn't dare make any sudden moves near me anymore. I lowered my hands to send him a small smile, which he returned.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" I asked, peering deeply into his eyes.

"I can't sleep…" he muttered. "So I decided to sit here with you."

"Alright. But don't overexert yourself." I leaned back in my chair.

"Any ideas on what to do next?" he questioned.

"Not one." I absentmindedly ran my tongue past my fangs, trying my best to think deeply. "That Yggdrasill bastard is still out there, and probably beyond reasoning right now. If we leave this house, we'll get killed on the spot. Asking him for a new treaty is out of the question."

"You mentioned other vampire hunters. Can't you make a treaty with one of those instead? That way, Yggdrasill won't be able to harm you and you'll get a new pendant." Yuan reasoned.

"It's a good idea, but…" I paused for a moment. "The Yggdrasill family controls the entire Meltokio region. If we want to find another vampire hunter, we'd have to travel quite far. Plus, I wouldn't know where to look for a trustworthy hunter."

Yes… Now that the pact with Yggdrasill was broken, other hunters could easily attack me as well. Trying to find another hunter would be seeking out trouble, unless we'd know for a fact that he'd hear me out before drawing a weapon.

Yuan made a thoughtful sound, his feet tapping the ground. He didn't seem to notice he was doing it though. I cringed, suddenly overcome with a wave of irritation.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Surely, the tapping would stop if I tore Yuan's spine out through his back. -Wait, what was I thinking?

"Yuan… Stop that," I said through gritted teeth.

"Hm?" he glanced up with a confused expression, before it got through to him. "Oh, sorry."

The tapping stopped. I breathed deeply, closing my eyes. The red blur that had been intensifying slowly settled down again.

"You'll be fine," Yuan spoke, and I felt him grasp one of my hands.

A small silence followed, which was broken when the doorbell rang. By now, it was about three o' clock in the afternoon, so it wouldn't be unusual for Botta to have visitors. It couldn't be a patient, however, since the half-elf worked at the hospital. Right now, he'd taken a few days off though.

"Coming!" Botta called from the kitchen.

A few seconds later, the doorbell rang again. And again.

"I said I'm coming!" Botta entered the hallway, looking highly annoyed as he swung a tea cloth over his shoulder.

From where Yuan and I were sitting, we had a good view of the front door, so when Botta pulled it open we could clearly see this new visitor. It was a guy who seemed to be in his early twenties. He had long, flaming red hair that reached all the way past his shoulder blades. Looking at his clothes, you could easily mistake him for a woman. He wore tight whitewashed jeans, a snug pink vest and to finish it off a white band was strapped around his forehead. His blue eyes reminded me strongly of ocean water. First, his gaze was focused on the doorbell he was pressing, yet when the door opened he turned and smiled brightly.

"Uncle Botta!"

Botta groaned and made to close the door again, but the guy had already placed his foot in the doorway before sidling into the hallway.

"Hello… Zelos," Botta said through a horribly forced smile.

"I haven't seen you in… what… four months?" Zelos asked casually.

"Two and a half. You came to ask me for money so you could visit Altamira," Botta grunted.

"Ah yes, Altamira. Good times." Zelos smiled, before glancing into the living room. "Oh, I didn't know you had company."

"Well, these things happen. You'll have to come back another time." Botta reached for the doorknob to let Zelos out.

Zelos gave a wave of his hand, completely ignoring the half-elf and wandering into the living room. "Don't be silly. Why don't you introduce me to your guests?"

"I…" Botta began, but Zelos had already extended a hand to Yuan.

"Hi, I'm Zelos Wilder. Botta's favourite nephew."

"My _only_ nephew," Botta corrected him.

"Details." Zelos gave another wave of his hand, causing Botta to visibly fume.

After Yuan had introduced himself, the red-head turned to me. As I shook his hand, I couldn't help but notice that there was something strange about him. An almost… familiar feeling.

"I'm Kratos Aurion."

Zelos glanced at my face with an interested expression, before his eyes whipped back to Botta. When he moved, I heard a faint chinking sound. Like a chain…

"Botta, how come you never told me you had a nephew?" Yuan asked, smiling slyly.

"He's… Not really my nephew. I mean…" Botta scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "He's the son of my half-brother. A full-blooded human."

"Hm…" Zelos' smile faltered for a moment. Then, he was beaming just as pleasantly as before as he hopped down in the nearest chair. "Say uncle, how about you make us some of your famed cappuccino?"

"But I just turned the machine off." Botta protested tiredly.

"Then turn it on again! You wouldn't deny your only nephew this delicious treat he oh-so-rarely receives?"

Botta muttered something under his breath as he walked off. Zelos smiled contently, before turning back to Yuan and myself. He folded his hands together, resting his head on them.

"Kratos, was it?" he asked, staring directly into my eyes. I nodded. "Don't you think you're playing it a little unsafe?"

"Unsafe?" I repeated, frowning.

"You might be able to pull off the weird eyes, but there's no way you can hide fangs that size. I'm surprised vampire hunters haven't gotten a hold of you yet." As he said this, not once did that smile leave his face.

He knew? Even with the way I looked now, there was no way a normal human could…

As if sensing my confusion, Zelos reached into his vest and pulled out a pendant. A blue jewel, set into a gold base. It was filled with a strange sort of cloud. It was… a vampire's pendant.

"Son of Botta's half-brother…? Yes. Full-blooded human? Nope." Zelos shrugged helplessly before stuffing the pendant back in his vest.

I exchanged a quick glance with Yuan, who looked just as shocked as I did. Botta's nephew was a half-vampire as well?

"I always knew there was something odd about your mother…" Botta commented, standing in the doorway as he listened in on the conversation.

The red-head glanced at him and gave a sheepish chuckle, running a hand through his curled hair. "Heh, I guess. Hey, how about some cookies?"

"I find out that you're half a vampire, and you tell me that you want _cookies_?" Botta frowned.

"Well, yeah. I'm starving." Zelos shrugged again.

Botta shot him a dark look before disappearing into the kitchen again. Family disputes… Awkward…

* * *

((**Meowzy:** Heheheh. Man, I had a lot of fun with this chapter. So, just to clarify, Botta's half-brother (a human) got together with a full-blood vampire woman, and that's how Zelos was born! ... Hey, it could happen! Hope you're looking forward to Sam's next chapter!)) 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

((**Meowzy:** Chapter thirteen already, eh? Thanks for the reviews so far! Glad everyone is enjoying the story. Time for the next chapter written by the mysterious Sam, who never really leaves an author's note.))

* * *

Chapter Thirteen.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

Soon after, Zelos had his precious cappuccino and cookies, and Botta sat across from him, glaring. A painful silence enveloped us, and the tension could be cut with a knife. Kratos was squeezing my hand tighter and tighter with each passing minute, a sign to me that it was getting harder and harder for him to control himself. I squeezed back, trying to comfort him, and decided to try to defuse the thick tension in the room. Since when have I been the mediator?

"So… This is quite a coincidence," I said cautiously. Botta continued to glare, and Zelos sank down in his seat, withering under the angry gaze of his uncle. I sighed.

"Botta, stop. Can't you see you're hurting him?" I asked, closing my eyes. This was getting out of hand. How could he be _mad_ at him? I mean, he's the one who told me that I would have laughed if Kratos had told me he was a vampire from the beginning. Shouldn't he practice what he preached?

"That's all right, Yuan, I'm used to people hating me… My mother hated me too. She hated me because I wasn't a pure breed like her. Like anybody would want to be a pureblood… I know I wouldn't…"

Kratos subconsciously nodded. Zelos closed his eyes. "Uncle, if you want me to leave, I will. And I never will come back to bother you again…"

Botta's eyes widened. "NO! I mean…you don't have to leave…"

Heh. Maybe he didn't mind Zelos as much as he let on.

"I can stay? Well, okay then!" Zelos put his smile back on his face and leaned back into the chair, his hands behind his head.

"Now, I know I might be prying but… Don't you think it's a little dangerous, walking around like that, Kratos?"

"…Well, I _had_ a pendant," Kratos muttered, tightening his grip on my hand.

"_Had_ a pendant? What happened to it? Can't you like, claim lost and get a new one from your hunter?"

"It was smashed by the hunter who I had the treaty with… I broke the treaty," Kratos said, his voice a whisper, averting his eyes from me. Be strong, Kratos…I love you…

"Whoah, wait, you did? I didn't think anybody was that stupid," Zelos said, his smile still on his face.

"Take that back…" I hissed through my teeth. I didn't care if he was Botta's nephew, I would _kill_ him if he said such a thing about Kratos again. He has no right to judge him. I could feel and slightly hear the lightning crackling on my fingers, ready to leap through my hands at him.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah. Don't be so hasty," he said, waving his hands in the air. "Okay, I'm sorry. What's the story behind it, then?"

"It was an accident… He didn't even mean to! I tried to tell Mithos that, but-"

"Time out! Did you say 'Mithos'? As in, Mithos Yggdrasill?" Zelos asked, instantly going from his easy expression to alert.

"Yeah…do you know him?"

"Know him? Everybody knows him! He's sadistic! He likes to kill totally innocent vampires for fun… And they call us the evil ones… Tough luck on that one, Kratos. My hunter, she's so nice… And she's got quite a nice body on her," Zelos told us, his smirk returning.

"How did I know he would have a hunter that was a female, and hot?" Botta asked, shaking his head. Kratos on the other hand, seemed interested.

"Where's her area?" Kratos asked him.

"Oh, it's in Gaoracchia Forest, near the village of Mizuho. She's a ninja."

"You're kidding me… A ninja vampire hunter?" Botta asked, his eyes wide. There was a silence for a few seconds. Then everybody except for Zelos burst out laughing.

"Hey, don't put down my hunny! She's so awesome! She's the raging demonic banshee! She's also my girlfriend," Zelos said. Botta swallowed his cappuccino wrong and started to cough.

"You're a vampire, and your girlfriend is a vampire hunter? Interesting…" Kratos said.

"Which is also good for you, since I believe you were thinking what I was thinking. You want to make a treaty with my voluptuous Sheena, so that Mithos will leave you alone, right? So all you have to do is attract her somehow, and tell her I sent you! No problem!" Zelos said, his smile widening.

I looked at Kratos. He was so hard to read, but I could still see the hope glimmering in his blood colored eyes. He twined his fingers with mine, giving me another squeeze, this time one of reassurance from him.

"That's what you're going to do?" Botta asked us. Kratos nodded, and I nodded too upon seeing his nod. Botta sighed. "At least stay another night. You can have the spare bedroom."

I nodded, looking at Kratos, who seemed a bit queasy at sharing a room with me. He was nervous that he would attack me and bite me again, but I wasn't so afraid.

"And, you, Zelos," Botta said, leveling a look at his nephew. "You're staying here for the night, because I don't want you on the streets running loose while there's a vampire hunter out there who could kill you."

"You know, I might take you up on that offer, since Mithos is sadistic enough to kill me. Although, I think Sheena would go all ninja on him if he did. He'd have a ton of trouble then, and you wouldn't have to worry about getting killed," he said offhandedly to Kratos.

Botta frowned. "As long as you keep your mouth shut and don't bother me, you're welcome to sleep on the couch." he said, getting up and walking out to the kitchen.

"What? But Uncle Botta, don't I get a room?" Zelos asked, following his uncle to the kitchen.

"Well, I already gave Kratos and Yuan the spare bedroom, and they were here first. And they're much better houseguests than you."

"But Uncle Botttttttttttttta…" Zelos whined, and their voices got slightly fainter as they entered the kitchen. I grabbed Kratos, leading him towards our room. I think it was time to get him somewhere private because he was slowly starting to lose control again. He was fidgety and nervous, and was trying to pull away from my hold.

I kept holding onto him, and I kept pulling him. I must be crazy. I'm going into a room with a vampire who had bitten me before and almost killed me, and was inclined to now. And I didn't care.

No, I take that back, I wasn't crazy…

I was in love with a vampire.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

((**Meowzy:** My turn again! Squeee! I love writing vampire Kratos, though I miss pervert Kratos from chapter two... -_sigh_- Ohwell, he'll make a return. ... Later...))

* * *

Chapter Fourteen.  
Kratos' P.O.V

Not breathing a word, I followed Yuan into the spare bedroom. The red mist was trying to overtake my senses, more strongly than before. If this kept up… I was going to snap some day soon. Even if we were to leave Botta's house to find Zelos' hunter now, it would probably still be too late.

Yuan sat me down on the bed, crouching down in front of me and holding my hand tightly. He was worried. I could tell.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying to peer into my eyes. I avoided his gaze.

"I'll be fine," I grunted, yet I was sure Yuan knew I was lying.

"You'll probably feel better after you eat." He paused awkwardly for a moment. "Food, I mean."

"I'm not hungry," I spoke. That was, without a doubt, one of the biggest lies I have ever told.

"Of course you are. I'm sure you haven't had that much to eat today." Yuan smiled faintly.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out his features. Why did he have to continue talking about food…? He was only making things worse.

"Yuan."

"Yes?" he glanced up at me with a serene expression.

"I want you to find a silver necklace, and put that around your neck," I said simply.

"What? Silver? But-"

"It's for your own protection." I cut across him, before closing my eyes again. "_Please_."

"Do I have to be apart from you that long?" his voice seemed to be filled with sadness. The grip on my hand increased, though I doubt he noticed.

"There is no other way," I responded, trying to tame the red mist that was starting to lunge out. There was a strange ringing sound in my ears.

"Alright." Yuan got to his feet and released my hand. The mist settled down a bit. "I'll go ask Botta if he's got any silver necklaces. I doubt it though."

With that, he left the room, leaving me all alone with my raw hunger.

* * *

I couldn't remember lying down, or falling asleep. The only thing I knew was that suddenly, I'd found myself drifting in a semi-conscious state, surrounded by the red mists. I could sense that I was resting when, all of a sudden, a great wave of lust washed over me. An extremely predatory feeling, like a cat that had just cornered a mouse. Then, out of nowhere, a horrible, burning pain in my chest that caused me to hiss and stumble backwards. 

… Stumble backwards?

I fell to the ground, landing with my back against the side of the bed as I shook my head vigorously. Looking up, I noticed that Yuan was pressed up against the opposite wall, holding a fork. He seemed extremely anxious.

"W-what happened?" I stuttered, holding a hand against my chest as I tried to calm my breathing.

"You were sleeping so… I woke you up, but…" Yuan looked away with a pained expression. "You immediately jumped up from the bed and tried to bite me so I…" he trailed off.

I'd tried to… bite him? Again?

"Botta's only got silverware. No necklaces." He glanced at the fork in his hands.

Ewww… Yuan had pressed the fork against my chest to defend himself. A _silver_ fork. Which explained the tremendous stinging pain. Good thing silver didn't actually leave burn marks or anything.

"Well, apparently it's better than nothing, huh?" I smiled lightly.

"Y-yeah." Yuan nodded. "Anyway, dinner's ready. I brought our plates upstairs, so you won't have to eat in the kitchen with the others."

"Though it seems I _will_ be dining with _you_," I commented, pushing myself to my feet and sitting down on the bed.

He nodded again, grabbing one of the plates and handing it to me. I smiled lightly when I saw the chopsticks. Due to my 'fear' of cutlery, I had always eaten with those. First, Yuan had thought it was just a weird quirk of mine, yet now he knew the full story.

For a while, we continued eating in silence. Me with my chopsticks and he with his silver fork. Yup, that was a nice way to keep me at distance. The place where the fork had touched me still stung, even though it hadn't directly touched my skin.

Soon, we were done eating, and Yuan went downstairs to give the plates back to Botta. I shifted anxiously, the red mist eating at the back of my mind. After dinner always came sleep. And that was something I didn't really want right now. He had managed to defend himself against me once, but what if he was asleep when I lunged out at him again?

My thoughts were cut short when Yuan opened the door, stifling a yawn, and shut it. I could see he didn't have the fork anymore. I mentally groaned. Did he _want_ to be bitten?

"Let's just get some sleep," He said, already starting to take off his shirt.

If I didn't know any better, I'd be sure he was asking for it. Basically, he'd just tied himself to an enormous slab of meat and run into a lion's cavern, covered in steak sauce. That's what it came down to. It was getting harder and harder for me to control my actions. Just because I could cuddle up in his arms this morning, didn't mean I'd be certain it could happen again.

He sat down on the bed, lying back, and I could feel his eyes pricking into my back. I didn't move, clenching my fists so forcefully my fingernails were digging into my palms.

"… What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't share a bed with you," I replied through gritted teeth.

"Sure you can." His voice sounded awfully carefree…

"Are you crazy? I could wake up tomorrow to find you _dead_!" I snapped.

"I'll be fine. Really." Yuan nodded wisely.

He still didn't understand. After everything I'd told him this morning, he still didn't understand…

"Yuan-"

"I won't take 'no' for an answer. So lie down before I _make_ you lie down." He crossed his arms defiantly, a stubborn glance in his eyes.

Slumping slightly, I decided it would be best to just play along. I sighed and took off my shirt before lying down, curling up, my back facing him. He seemed to think this was the best he could get, since he made a content sound and pulled the blankets over both our bodies.

"Good night Kratos," he chirped, running a soothing hand over my arm before making himself comfortable.

"'Night."

And so, I waited. Just staring at the wall ahead, listening intently. It took a long time before I was sure Yuan's breathing had slowed down so much he was actually asleep. Then, silently, I slipped out the bed again.

Yuan stirred restlessly for a moment, before rolling over and sinking into deep slumber once more. I smiled faintly, snatching my pillow and lying down on the ground. I'd be damned if I hurt Yuan again.

Monsters belonged _underneath_ the bed, not in it.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

((**Meowzy:** And the next chapter by Sam. Yup!))

* * *

Chapter Fifteen.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I stirred slightly, trying to find a warm body next to me. Vampire, be damned, he was _mine_ and I would cuddle him if I wanted to. But I couldn't find him in the bed. I sat up, my hair falling into my face. I blew the annoying hair out of my face, and glanced about the room. He wasn't in bed, and his pillow was gone. I bent over the side and looked at the floor. He was curled up, shivering on the cold floor, his troubled head resting on his pillow. I sighed, slipping out of bed to kneel down next to him, stroking his face. I bent down, pushing my hair behind my ears, kissing his forehead. Some of it tickled him and his face scrunched up in sleep. I smiled gently, before curling up next to him.

No matter how much he wanted to push me away for my 'safety' I would always push back. _Always._

I didn't go back to sleep, since it was almost time to wake up anyway. I listened to his heartbeat, his chest rising and falling in peaceful slumber. I was just content to be there with him.

The moment he awoke, though, he pushed me away. He sat up, growling at me. "I told you-"

"You didn't tell me anything about cuddling with you if you decided to lie on the floor," I pointed out. He frowned at me.

"Yuan, do you want to get killed? What don't you understand about me being a vampire?" he said, his hands tightening into fists.

"I understand everything. You don't seem to understand my reasons," I said, crossing my arms defiantly.

"What reasons? You have no reasons! You just are either stupid, or you don't understand. Which is it?"

"It's neither! Do you think that you'd be able to survive without me by you, near you, comforting you? You would have given up a long time ago if I hadn't stopped you! I'm the only thing keeping you sane and alive, Kratos Aurion, and you know it," I said, my eyes narrowing.

"I don't know about that," he responded coolly. "I could live without you. It'd be quite easy."

"You're lying. You couldn't live without me, and you couldn't stand me distancing myself from you, however much you want it." I wasn't backing down, but maybe I should, since I could see the bloodlust pooling in his eyes, not of his choice. My poor sweet vampire…

Before I knew it, I had been slammed into the wall, his hand going to my frail throat. It tightened painfully, and I found I was having trouble breathing.

"Don't you ever disobey me again, or else you'll get worse!" His eyes, they were maddened, the bloodlust was mingled with pure cruelty. He had told me that vampires could get violent, but was this really what he was talking about…?

I wriggled around, trying to get enough air into my lungs. He slammed me into the wall again, knocking the breath I had managed to get out of me. "Please… You're hurting me…" I managed to wheeze out, before the hand tightened.

"Get this straight, you are mine, and I'll do whatever I want to you!" he said, baring his fangs. How ironic. I thought that a little while ago. I never thought it would come back to bite me. Heh, now I'm making jokes while I should be begging for my life.

I coughed, tears coming to my eyes from lack of oxygen, and for Kratos. He never meant to do this, and if I do die, he'll blame himself. I'd never blame him. He'll blame himself even if I don't die when he does come around.

Speaking of which, his hand let go of my throat as if it was burned, and I slid down the wall, coughing and wheezing as I managed to finally draw a breath. My throat felt like it was on fire.

I could hear his footsteps, backing up slowly, and he almost got away, before I blindly tackled him, my breaths still laborious.

"Not…going…anywhere…" I said. He tried to wriggle away, but I managed to open my eyes, blinking through the tears, and grabbed his face, my hands on either side, forcing him to look at me. His eyes were full to the brim of horror and self-loathing. His hands, which were planted on my waist trying to push me away, were shaking and not doing a very good job. If he could, I think he would curl into a ball and cry.

"You're not going anywhere…" I said, finally being able to string a sentence together without stopping to breathe. "If you go outside now, Yggdrasill will find you."

"What makes you think I don't want that?" he asked me, his voice trembling.

"Because _I_ don't want that. I don't want you to die…"

"Even though I almost killed you? Even though I swore to myself I would never hurt you again, I did? What sort of person am I?"

"A good person, with a little…problem. That's all," I told him, smiling gently. "I still love you, you know. It'd take a lot more than this to drive me away from you."

He shook his head as if trying to deny the knowledge.

"No, no, no… You can't love me, you can't," he moaned. "You'll get hurt, you can't-"

"I can, I will, and I do. Please don't ask me not to, because I couldn't." It was the truth. I could never not love him. It was like a little infectious bug that had wormed its way straight to my heart.

"I-I…I love you too…" he said, burying his head in my hair. All I could do is really comfort him, and tell him that I loved him. I couldn't make it easier, even though I wanted to.

All I can really do is make it harder.

* * *

"Yuan, please do me a favor?" I looked up at Kratos as we walked down the streets of Meltokio. Needless to say, we escaped before Botta or Zelos got up. We decided it'd be better if we left alone, and discretely. Right now we were on the left side of Meltokio, leaving the city as fast as humanly -and vampirely- possible, since Yggdrasill was probably was still lurking here. 

"Please let me buy you a silver necklace," he begged, pointing at a store we had stopped in front of, which happened to be a jewelry store. I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off.

"_Please_. I know you don't want to, but please."

I looked at his pleading face, and slowly nodded. He smiled brightly, before pulling me into the store.

I looked around, at all the jewels sparkling, and the gold rings, and the necklaces. Kratos said that money was not an option, but I still stayed on the cheap side. Nothing really attracted my attention, until I saw it. A bright red ruby shaped like a teardrop. It was darker than ruby, actually. It reminded me of Kratos' eyes, right now, the eyes that were watching me fondly, almost protectively. I pointed at it, getting the woman behind the counter's attention.

"Can I have that one, please?"

She smiled at me, opening the case, and taking it out. It was put in a box, and Kratos paid for it. It wasn't too much, I hope.

Soon after we were outside, Kratos asked me to put it on.

"I want to see what it looks like, and it's for your protection," he told me. I plucked the box from my pocket, opened it, and put the necklace on. His eyes widened in shock when he saw it.

"You-"

I smiled brightly at him, not getting too close to him, but close enough to twine my fingers with his. I hope it didn't hurt him. It didn't seem to, but he seemed almost controlled, tamed, for the first time in a while. I guess the silver really does work.

"Can we leave, love?" I asked him, looking up at him. I slightly wondered what I looked like to him. A little fragile half-elf looking into the face of a vampire, a beast, without fear in his eyes. How strange. But he looked down at me, for the first time his eyes seemed to be clear of bloodlust. Maybe it was just me. Or perhaps it was the silver.

"Yes, love, we can leave."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

((**Meowzy:** And my turn again! Hurray! Bet you didn't expect the story to turn out like this when you first started reading, ne?))

* * *

Chapter Sixteen.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

I sighed, leaning peacefully on the railing behind me. After a long, long trek we'd finally reached the end of the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. About time too. The sun was starting to set.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Yuan asked, noticing the way I was staring at the red sky.

"Not as beautiful as you," I remarked, smiling.

Yuan laughed, moving to stand next to me. I flinched for a moment, awfully aware of how close that silver necklace was. I was going to have to deal with it. It was for the best.

"I wonder what Botta is doing right now," He wondered aloud.

"Probably yelling at Zelos for some reason." I smiled again.

"Heh. I guess so." He paused for a moment. "Do you think we should have told them we were leaving?"

"Nah… This is for the best. Besides, they already knew we were going to go and find Zelos' _girlfriend_," I replied. It was a bit hard to believe that a guy like that would have girlfriend… Still, if a half-vampire like him could have a girlfriend, then perhaps the curse was just a fairytale after all.

"But if we'd woken Botta up before leaving, he could've made us a few cappuccinos for the journey," Yuan chuckled.

For a moment, we both stood there, laughing. Moments like this made life worth while. They made me feel… normal. And they were even better with Yuan. I truly did love him.

The way the setting sun was casting light on Yuan's face made his beautiful features stand out even more. Normally, a moment like this would be romantic. Now… it was completely ruined because of that damn necklace. Then again, I couldn't blame the necklace. No… The real problem was my cursed vampire blood.

"What's on your mind?" Yuan turned to me; already guessing something was bothering me.

"It's such a beautiful moment and I just want to hold you close. But even though you're right next to me… I can't." I stared painfully at the ground.

Yuan stayed silent for a few seconds, before responding. "When you get a new treaty, we can come back here and do the moment over again."

"I'd like that." I glanced up at him again, managing a smile. He lightly took my hand, pulling me closer to him and leaned his head against my shoulder. The necklace was awfully close now, making me nervous. Yuan stroked the back of my hand, sighing gently.

"I'll make sure you won't always be like this, love. Having to be afraid of hurting me and not even being able to touch me. Even if…" He stopped, falling silent. I looked curiously at him.

"Even if what?" I asked him. He lifted his head up and shook his head.

"It's nothing, love. Come on, we need to get to Sybak before night fall," he told me, then walked a bit away. I stared after him.

What was all that about?

Then the full impact of his words hit me. Did he just say we needed to get to Sybak? No, he couldn't have… I sure _hoped_ he didn't just say that. Sybak was not a happy place for me.

Still, as we left the bridge, I couldn't help but notice we were heading in the general direction of that town. I was starting to feel tired, but was still quite capable of continuing. I probably had my vampire endurance to thank for that. Yuan, on the other hand, would have to get some rest soon.

"We should find an inn to spend the night," he said after a while, trying to appear brave by suppressing a yawn.

"Then… we need to enter Sybak," I concluded, my stomach sinking. Already, it was getting dark, but… Could we really walk through the streets when I looked like… Like _this_?

"I suppose so." Yuan altered the course of his tracks slightly to step towards the nearby town. He paused when he realised I wasn't following. "… What is it?"

"Yuan, _look_ at me. I'm a freak!"

"Oh, stop overreacting!" Yuan laughed softly. "I mean, sure. You look a bit… intimidating. But if you stick to the shadows, nobody will notice."

"Are you sure those words are true?" I questioned. After all, I suspected my blood-red eyes could shine straight through the darkness.

"Yes, I'm sure." The half-elf gave me a quick smile, before continuing on his path.

Completely in reflex, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Once more, I was awfully aware of that silver pendant, so I hastily let go again. He turned to face me again, a look of confusion on his face. Silently reprimanding myself for my actions, I glanced at the ground.

"Ah…"

"This isn't just about the way you look, is it?" He questioned, crossing his arms.

I flinched uneasily, still not meeting his eye. "… It's just… Sybak holds some bad memories for me."

"You've been there before?"

"I used to live there. … A long time ago." I admitted, somewhat reluctant.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? What happened?" Yuan asked curiously.

I sighed, getting a bit irritated by his continuous questioning. It was probably for the best that he didn't know. He'd end up pitying me even more.

"Doesn't matter," I grunted, walking past him. "Let's just head for the inn."

"Kratos…"

I didn't respond, shoving my hands deeply into my pockets. Yuan hurried after me. If we kept a steady pace we should reach the town within two hours.

"Kratos, you know you can tell me anything." The half-elf tried again.

"I said it doesn't matter," I growled loudly, increasing my stride.

By now, Yuan had to jog to keep up with me. "It can't be that bad…"

"Stop badgering me!" I shouted, fists clenching in my pockets stop myself from striking him. For a moment, the red fog in my mind swirled in an almost aggravated way. When I turned my head to see Yuan's shocked stare, however, I forced myself to relax again, breathing deeply. "I'm sorry…"

"Ah… That's okay. I suppose I _am_ too nosy for my own good sometimes…" he muttered.

An annoyed voice in the back of my head said 'Damn straight!', but I quickly hushed it before I repeated those words out loud. The last thing I needed now was to start a fight with Yuan.

Curse or no curse, I didn't want to drive him away.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

((**Meowzy:** Aaand another chapter for Sam. Man, low reviews these days.))

* * *

Chapter Seventeen.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I followed him intently, watching his body language. He seemed much too nervous for it just to be his appearance. If it was, then why didn't he shy away from me when I first saw him? There was something more here, and I really, really wanted to find out exactly what it was.

But I couldn't, since Kratos was already in a bad mood, and I think if he didn't have the control and I didn't have this necklace, he would have actually attacked me again. Then we would be in a bigger heap of trouble, since then Kratos would be even more traumatized than he is now. But I'm afraid.

I'm not afraid of him, but I'm afraid for him, if he would ever be normal again. But, he wasn't normal to start with. And that's okay but…

I'm the cause of it. If I weren't here, none of this would have ever happened. Well, it's not that I'm here, per se… It's more that I'm _normal_. If I could somehow… I shouldn't be thinking about this.

What I should be thinking about is Kratos, his hands jammed in his pockets, walking in front of me. I wanted to hug him, since he looked so sad, but that would make things worse.

I wondered what would happen if I touched him right now. I reached out, my arm straight, a few inches away from his back. If I touched him, it could set him off… but it could comfort him, too. Kratos was so volatile now without his pendant, anything could be taken the wrong way. I also didn't want to set him off, for him trying to bite me in the streets of Sybak wouldn't be the greatest thing in the world.

I limply let my hand fall to the side, before bringing it up to wipe away the tears. It seemed like he was drifting away from me more and more now. I didn't _want _him to drift away. I tried to stop myself, but the tears kept coming. I should be strong, for the both of us… but I could only take so much.

I was too preoccupied with trying to stop the tears that I crashed into Kratos, who had stopped and turned around to talk to me.

I jumped back, trying to wipe away those stupid tears, muttering about something caught in my eye.

"Yuan…are you crying?" Kratos asked me, and I furiously shook my head no, but that made more tears slip down my cheeks.

"I… made you cry, didn't I?"

Again, I shook my head, and I started to cry harder. Why was I crying?

I didn't notice that Kratos was in front of me until he caught my chin with his hand, pulling my gaze upwards to look into his eyes. He wiped away a tear, and then told me, "I'm sorry… Please stop crying…" I was trapped in his eyes, lost in them, and was barely aware that my body had obeyed him without me telling it to. Did he just…hypnotize me?

It was possible that he did. His eyes always did have that effect on me. Maybe it had to do with the predator-prey thing. I was his prey, and he could easily use it to get me to comply with anything he wanted. But he didn't. I was just looking into his eyes, swimming in them, and everything was all right, for a second, a minute, however long we stood there. But I ruined it.

I started to lean up, to press my lips to his, his eyes widened in fear, and the spell was broken.

I blinked, and went back down on the flats of my feet, looking down at the ground. I mumbled a slight "Sorry" before trying to walk around him. He caught me, though, twirling me around to face him.

"Yuan… Do you really want to know?"

I nodded, but then stopped. "Well, only if you want to tell me…and certainly not here," I said, gesturing around at our surroundings. We were on a street where you could easily be overheard by anybody and anything.

"Okay then. Please wait until we get to the inn," he said, as if he had done something wrong. For some reason, I didn't contradict him.

* * *

At the inn, I lay down on my bed, silently fuming that Kratos had gotten a room with double beds. But of course, there was nothing I could do about it. I looked down towards the foot of my bed when a weight was added to it. 

"Yuan… I'm sorry I've been so… off these past few days."

I stayed silent at his apology.

He sighed at me, and then launched into his explanation. "When I was younger, I didn't know that I was a vampire. My mother just told me to keep my pendant on or she'd punish me. I did what I was told, until one day, when I was 14. I took it off, for just one second, and to say the least, I was confused. I didn't attack anyone, but I wanted to. That was the first time I had ever actually smelled blood. Of course, I went home to ask my mother about it." He stopped, pausing for a few seconds, as if thinking what to say next. I pushed myself up on my hands, watching him intently.

"She… she told me I was a vampire. Well, a half-vampire, anyway, on my father's side. I didn't believe her. I thought she was lying, and something else was wrong with me. I remember… I was yelling at her, telling her it was impossible. Maybe I was doing that because I knew it was true, but didn't want to admit it…"

I cocked my head at him, looking at his face, which was shadowed by his spiky hair. I wanted to hug him, he seemed so depressed, but perhaps that wasn't best right now.

She told me to take my pendant off. I wasn't really thinking straight, so I did it. If maybe I had been a bit calmer, I wouldn't have. But… I did, and I didn't even see the knife she used to cut herself. I just saw red. The next thing I knew, I was licking the blood off the floor." He closed his eyes, and they flickered under his eyelids, watching the scene himself. I could imagine it myself, perhaps because of my experience with him, or because of my over-active imagination.

"I couldn't stop myself. It was like being trapped in a nightmare, only it was real. And she didn't stop me. She just watched me with disgust, then managed to tell me I was a monster, like my father. Then she left. The next day, it was like she had forgotten it ever happened. But in her eyes, I could tell she was disappointed and disgusted that I was like _him_. That's why I hate her and this city. It just reminds me again and again what I am. A-"

"No you don't!" I snarled, covering his mouth. "If you ever say the 'm' word again, I will knock some sense into you! You. Are. Not. A. Monster. Got it?" I had to say, I surprised myself with my little outburst. But perhaps I had just snapped, and wanted him to know exactly what I thought.

He pulled away, and stood up.

"Goodnight, Yuan," he told me, before going to his bed, and lying down, his back facing me. I swore silently.

I had messed up again. Again.

And I didn't even know what I had done wrong.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

((**Meowzy:** My turn again! Ohhh, I loved this chapter. It finally has some mild resortions to violence. _Extremely_ mild, but it's there nonetheless.))

* * *

Chapter Eighteen.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

So, a new day arrived in the city of Sybak. I hadn't slept all that much that night. I'd woken up around three in the morning and found myself unable to doze off again. Therefore, I'd merely stared ahead, watching the light of day slowly appear on the wall across from me with each passing minute. The sound of Yuan's slow breathing, originating from the bed nearby, was kind of soothing. At the same time, it made me feel like I could almost hear his heartbeat. Like I could sense the blood that was being pumped through his body. In that way, it was sickening.

I didn't care how often Yuan would say otherwise. I _was_ a monster. A freak. At least, without a pendant, I was. I couldn't rest easy until I had a new treaty. We'd have to leave Sybak as soon as possible to continue our journey.

Yggdrasill still hadn't shown himself since that evening he'd smashed the pendant. It was rather unnerving. I was sure he knew we'd left Meltokio. Why hadn't he chased after us yet? What was he planning?

Around seven in the morning, I heard Yuan stir. Slowly, he sat up, yawning widely and stretching his muscles. I didn't move.

"Kratos?" I heard him call, and I was sure he was watching me.

I managed a low 'hm' from the back of my throat to let him know I was awake. Yuan remained silent for a moment, before pushing himself off his bed and leaving the room. Probably to use the bathroom.

I thought back to the first time I'd woken up next to Yuan. I remembered my reluctance to get up, and my need to hold him close. What I wouldn't give to return to that easy life…

* * *

Yuan returned fifteen minutes later. By that time, I was already halfway through getting dressed. As he entered the room, I didn't even look up. I merely turned away to grab a stray sock, not meeting his gaze. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, apparently not happy with the way I was ignoring him.

"Yes," I said shortly, still concentrated on my socks as I sat on the edge of my bed.

A small silence followed.

"Are you still mad about last night?" he tried again to start some form of conversation with me.

"No."

Stubbornly not looking him in the eyes, I reached out to snatch my shirt from the nearby chair and put it on. Yuan sighed in an irritated way and moved to stand in front of me, so that I had no choice but to stare at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he demanded, crossing his arms.

"I'm fine." I pushed myself to my feet, getting ready to brush past him and head for the door.

Before my brain had fully processed what was going on, something hard came into contact with my face, forcing it to snap to the right. At once, I felt a stinging pain in my left cheek and jawbone, as my vision blacked out for a few seconds. Then I suddenly found myself falling back onto the bed, one hand flying up to cover what would soon be a bruise.

"_Stop lying_!" Yuan shouted.

A bit confused, I opened my eyes to see that the half-elf's right fist was clenched tightly. He'd… punched me?

"You're _not_ fine! _So what_? I'm not fine either!" he was positively seething now. "You think you're the _only_ one who's suffering from this? How do you think _I_ feel? I'm trying the best I can to cope with this, but you're just blatantly ignoring me!"

I blinked, not quite sure what to do. "Yuan, I-"

"Stop acting like such a dramaqueen and pull yourself together! If you don't, I'll hit you again and again until you see sense!" Yuan raged on, his emerald eyes narrowed in a glare. Still, I could see that tears were swimming just on the surface, ready to fall. He was going to cry again…

"I'm sorry," I whispered, looking away.

"If you're really sorry, you'll stop acting like such a jerk and realize I care about you!" he spat.

I sighed, biting my bottom lip. This whole situation wasn't just hard on me. Yuan was a victim too. With all my attempts to protect him, I was only hurting him more. But what else could I do? If I got too friendly with him, it might lead to lust. And that might lead to…

Then again, if continued to ignore him, he _would_ hit me again. This time, it hadn't ended bad because I'd been caught in surprise. Next time, my vampire reflexes might kick in and I could end up killing him as a counter attack.

"… You're right. I'm sorry." I looked up at him again, forcing a mild smile onto my lips. He seemed satisfied with that.

"Well, good," he huffed, before turning his back to me, raising one hand to rub his eyes. "Then put your shoes on. We need to get going."

"Alright." I gave an unnoticed nod, not hesitating to comply.

* * *

After having breakfast in our room, we entered the main hall to check out of the inn. Meanwhile, we were discussing the fastest path to get to Mizuho. 

"I'm sure Zelos mentioned Gaoracchia forest. We'll have to pass through that," I said, placing some money on the receptionist's desk. The man looked up with at me with a frown. Startled, I looked away, trying to hide my crimson eyes behind bangs of auburn hair as my tongue nervously pressed against the back of two long fangs.

"Gaoracchia forest? I don't mean to pry, but I would avoid that place if I were you," The innkeeper spoke.

"Why?" Yuan asked, effectively diverting the man's attention away from me.

"Haven't you heard the stories?"

Slowly, both Yuan and I shook our heads. The innkeeper seemed surprised at our clueless reaction. He glanced around shiftily, before leaning over the counter and dropping his voice to whisper.

"They say a witch lives in the forest. In order to stay young, she drinks the blood of young children. Anyone who enters her terrain will be lured into the depths of the forest, only to lose their way and fall victim to her."

I exchanged a quick glance with Yuan, both of us raising an eyebrow. I faintly remembered this story from when I was a child, but…

"That sounds like a tale to make sure kids don't enter the forest and get lost," I spoke skeptically.

"It's true. Many children and even a few young men have disappeared, only to be found on the outskirts of the forest, drained of blood. Though this legend has existed for over fifty years, those few who claim to have seen a woman in the forest always describe her in the same way. As though she never ages…" The innkeeper twitched nervously.

"What a load of b-" I began, but Yuan cut me off.

"What does she look like?" he asked, sounding almost interested.

Again, the innkeeper shifted on his feet with an anxious expression. "They say she has long green hair and golden eyes. Some call her 'eerily beautiful'."

"Well, we'll be sure and keep an eye out for her." I turned and headed for the door. Yuan hastily thanked the man and followed.

* * *

It took over half a day for us to reach Gaoracchia forest. It certainly was a spooky place. The growth of trees was so thick, it blocked out almost all sunlight. I could understand how people would lose their way here. It was almost impossible to navigate through. Luckily, I'd brought a compass. 

As night fell, fireflies appeared to lighten the darkness a little. It was a gorgeous sight, romantic in a way. Once again, I felt horrible that another perfect moment like this had to slip through my fingers because of the absence of my pendant. Yuan, I noticed, was admiring the beauty of the glittering insects, yet didn't provide any comment on it. He'd been awfully quiet since that morning. In a way, I was grateful for that.

The fireflies also meant we would have to set up camp.

After a bit of a search, we found a clearing that _wasn't_ completely overgrown with bushes and placed our sleeping bags there. Sleeping in a place like this was, I knew, was not such a smart thing to do. Yet, we couldn't just keep walking, could we? Plus, Yuan did not object when I told him we'd spend the night here.

So, I wished him a good night, in a far more pleasant tone than the one I'd used the other day. Even though worry was still gnawing at my stomach… Even though we were sleeping in a shady forest… It didn't take all that long for me to fall asleep.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

((**Meowzy:** A shortie from Sam this time...))

* * *

Chapter Nineteen.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I waited for a while, pretending to sleep. Kratos' breathing slowed down, and I knew he wouldn't wake up for a while. I got up, tiptoeing out of the campsite, but not before stopping to lean over Kratos. He looked so peaceful in sleep… I kissed his forehead and stepped around him, and gave one lingering look back.

I hope he understood why I was doing this…

I wandered the forest for a bit, hoping my presence would attract her to me. If she indeed were a vampire, as I thought… perhaps my smell, which attracted Kratos, would lead her to me. But the fact is, I need to make sure she doesn't bite me…at first.

As I wandered, I realized that I was getting deeper and deeper in the forest. Soon, I came to a dark trail, which seemed to lead almost nowhere. It had all the makings of a scary movie or book. And I could feel a prickling on my back that meant I was being watched.

I whirled around, but there was nobody there. I blinked, then backed up slightly. Into something…or _someone_. Manicured fingernails came up on my cheek, scratching lightly as an arm went around me, stronger than it seemed.

"Mmmm… You're handsome… And you smell _delightful_." A tongue licked my neck right near where Kratos had bitten it the first time. I shivered at the feel, and told myself to calm down, and that however much I _wanted_ it to be Kratos, it obviously wasn't.

Though I could imagine it… Kratos behind me, his arms around me, a gentle kiss on my neck, with a guilty whisper of 'I'm sorry' when his lips fell on the small puncture wounds that would not go away. I'd roll my eyes, and lean into him, but then I could feel his body tense and a loud hiss, then-

My eyes flashed open as the woman behind me gave a squeal. "And you taste so nice too! Perhaps I'll take a slight bite…" She said seductively, pulling down my collar. Her voice fascinated me, making me docile and like a rag doll. I thought I was going to be bit for sure… but she caught the little lasting wounds that Kratos had given me.

"You have a mate… Great. The first person in a while that I get that smells exquisite has a vampire mate that is probably going to kick my ass if I even touch you," she said, and the seductiveness in her voice was gone and I was free from her grasp.

I whirled around to see the woman the innkeeper has described; though I was close enough-or knew enough-to see the fangs protruding from her lips.

"What do you mean, 'I smell exquisite'?" I asked, curious. It was the first thing that came to my mind, since it seemed she wasn't going to bite me.

"Oh, they haven't told you yet? Sometimes humans have this special sort of blood type and it drives vampires mad. In both senses…" she said, bringing her arms around my neck and pushing herself against me. I was just frozen in shock. She wanted me to…? Oh dear gods…

"Oh, come on, please…? Your mate won't know, promise…" She gave a little groan, and my brain started to freak out. My hands went above my head, as what I hoped was a universal gesture of 'NO!!!'

"Sorry, but… No," I told her, my voice sounding funny. A bit embarrassed, maybe…

She peeled herself from me, pouting. "Fine then, I know when I'm not wanted. But… You're not getting what you want if I don't get what I want," she said, smirking.

"Wha-? How do you know…?" Which I might not have wanted to say, since she now knew that I did want something, if she was just trying me before.

"I know a lot. I know you want to be a vampire, and I happen to be full-blooded. So, you want me to change you. But I'm not going to do it unless you give me something in return."

"What? What do you want from me? I have nothing to give," I said, holding out my arms from my body. I didn't really have anything of value, at all.

"Of course you do. Your blood."

I blinked in confusion.

"Oh, you're priceless," she said, laughing. "Remember when I said that your blood was special? As in, special for vampires to drink? Well, I want to drink some of your blood! Just a bit, not too much. I haven't tasted that sort of blood in ages!" she said, almost jumping for joy. "You know, if I remember correctly, it tastes something like honey…"

"How do I know you won't kill me?" I asked suspiciously.

"Because, I said I wouldn't harm you, and the blood has more effect fresh. If I were to kill you, and drain you of blood to keep drinking, it would lose its wonderful taste. So I'll have to compromise."

"…You swear, that you won't go against your word?"

"I swear on my honor as a vampire," she said, putting a hand on her heart. I still wasn't very trusting, from what Kratos had told me about pure-blooded vampires, but what other choice did I have?

"Fine then. I agree. But you have to hurry up, or else I'll be missed, and then they'll be trouble."

"Gotcha," she said, winking at me. She beckoned me down the trail, and I followed.

"I'm Yuan, by the way… You know, I never caught your name," I told her. She sniffed, as if it was a cardinal sin for me to ask her for her name.

"My name's Pronyma. Don't wear out."


	20. Chapter Twenty

((**Meowzy:** My turn again! And once again, reviews are dropping drastically. ... It can't be helped, I suppose...))

* * *

Chapter Twenty.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

Panic filled my very soul as I ran through the dense paths of Gaoracchia forest. I shoved aside bushes and low branches in my haste, hardly noticing where I was going. My surroundings were but a blur. Yet I did _know_ where I was going. I knew exactly which direction was the right one. I was running completely on instinct.

_Yuan was gone_.

I had woken up, half asleep. I had rolled over to get more comfortable, secretly trying to sneak a peek at the man I loved… And he had gone missing. In a dark, spooky forest. A forest that, should we believe the innkeeper, was haunted. … Yeah right.

Why hadn't I thought of it before? It was so obvious! A witch that drinks the blood of children.

A vampire!

So now I ran, my legs still struggling to keep up with the immense speed I was trying to achieve. On occasion, I would stumble over a root. I wouldn't fall though. I couldn't afford to. I had to keep moving in this direction. I was… following Yuan's scent.

Finally, I pushed myself through a tangle of bushes to end up in a clearing. Situated inside that clearing was a small house. A cottage, if you will. Thick vines climbed up the side wall, reaching all the way to the roof. It was almost picturesque, but I had no time to enjoy the scenery.

In my rage, I just about kicked the door down to get inside. I was astounded when it slammed open quite easily, then realization hit me that it probably hadn't been locked in the first place. Not wasting any time, I sped into the nearest room where a quite nasty sight reached my eyes.

Yuan was standing right there, his back to me and his head tilted to the left slightly. Hovering over him, her fangs just mere inches from his neck, was a woman with dark green hair. She froze in her action, her amber eyes whipping up to meet mine.

"Release him," I growled in a low voice, almost a snarl.

Yuan started in the woman's grip, apparently previously unaware that I was in the house. Still, he did not look back. He remained perfectly still.

The woman closed her mouth, lifting her head upwards as a smile appeared on her purple lips. "Why should I? He was the one who came to me in the first place."

I said nothing, yet felt my fists clench in anger.

"Such a thoughtful mate. He wants to save you some grief and turn vampire himself," The woman continued, her long nails digging further into Yuan's arms as she pulled him even closer.

The red mist that flooded my mind started to turn violent. It washed around like an ocean during a storm, whipping about in anger. A feeling aching to jealousy burned viciously inside my pattern of thought. Though, at the same time, I felt sad. The thought of Yuan as a vampire, having to go through the same hell I suffered, was too much. All that was needed for a mortal to turn into a vampire was to be bitten by a full-blood, without dying.

"I told you to release him!" I snapped, my ruby eyes narrowing. Already, I could feel my consciousness slipping as my vampire half fought for the upper hand.

"Take it easy, big boy," The woman purred. "Don't blame me. I was just hungry."

Her words seemed like sharp daggers of annoyance, only further raising my levels of fury. Just then, her gaze strayed back to Yuan's neck.

"Just let me have a sip and then he's all yours."

Something inside me snapped like a frail twig. Before I'd fully realized what was going on, I was holding Yuan close to my chest with one arm and trying to throttle the vampire woman with my other hand. Somehow, I'd managed to pin her against the wall.

In my sudden moment of recollection, I got confused. The woman took advantage of that to shove me off again. My hand released her throat and I staggered backwards, yet refused to let go of Yuan.

"Hey, no need to get violent!" she said in a hoarse voice, rubbing her sore neck.

I was just about to apologize in reflex when I felt another presence in the house, closing in fast. I stepped to the side just in time to see someone flash past me with enormous speed, pinning the vampire woman to the wall again.

"I've got you now, Pronyma!" hissed a female voice.

I blinked, trying to identify this sudden newcomer. A woman, wearing a light purple coat that reached just past her hips. Her jet-black hair was tied back with a pink ribbon into a short, messy ponytail. Completing the ensemble, she wore tight black pants and a matching black top. It was strange that she wore dark purple, buckled boots, yet managed to make no sound while running.

"Oh, I just knew this was bound to happen when my old hunter died…" Pronyma sighed wearily.

"I've had to wait a long time to catch you off guard, but now I can finally finish the job." Reaching into a pocket of her coat, the newcomer pulled out a sharp wooden stake. I instinctively flinched at the sight of it. Pronyma, however, merely raised a heavily-lidded eyebrow.

"Look, miss Fujibayashi, we don't have to settle this with violence. Why not make a new treaty with me?"

At the vampire's words, something inside my memory stirred. Fujibayashi… Why did that name sound so familiar?

_Sheena Fujibayashi_! This woman was Zelos' girlfriend?

"Hah, no way! You've never kept to your treaties! Frankly, I'm surprised your old hunter let you roam free this long!" Sheena spat in an aggravated way.

"Perhaps it was because he regularly came to visit my house for some pleasurable activities," Pronyma replied with a seductive smile, running a finger across Sheena's wrist. The grip on her throat increased in response. Still, the woman did not choke.

"You're despicable," Sheena growled.

"Yuan? Be a dear and tell this girl to release me." Pronyma paused to take a deep breath. "If I die, I won't be able to fulfill your wish."

I felt Yuan flinch in my embrace. He was trying to move away, but I only held him closer. At the same time, Sheena's gaze darkened. "Don't you dare."

Pronyma sighed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "Then I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

In the blink of an eye, Sheena had received a knee to the gut. The girl doubled over, gasping in pain. Pronyma quickly slapped the stake from her hand and pushed her away roughly. As I watched the vampire woman make for the door, I was torn between stopping her from escaping and retaining Yuan. Before I had fully made up my mind, however, it was already too late. She was gone.

"Oh, dammit! I was so close!" Sheena shouted, staring into the abandoned hallway before turning back to Yuan and myself. "Thanks for nothing."

"Ah…" For the first time since we'd entered this place, did Yuan open his mouth. He never got close to forming a full sentence though.

As Sheena's eyes fell on me, a brief look of shock washed over her. Then she quickly assumed a new attack position. "Another vampire?" she exclaimed, whipping out a second stake.

I stepped back, letting go of Yuan in alarm. The half-elf quickly raised his hands to try and calm Sheena down. "N-no! It's okay! He's good!"

"Then why isn't he wearing a pendant?" Sheena demanded. Though she lowered the stake slightly, there was still a suspicious hint in her voice.

"It got smashed. He's looking for a new treaty," Yuan tried to explain.

"Zelos sent us," I added, hoping that would gain her trust. It didn't.

A dark expression appeared on Sheena's face and the stake was quickly raised again. She looked positively seething, so I thought it best to once again back away.

"_Zelos_ sent you? That perverted, womanizing, back-stabbing, mooching idiot?" If it were possible, she would be foaming at the mouth.

"That's not a very nice way to talk about your boyfriend…" Yuan muttered.

"_Boyfriend_?" Sheena's expression darkened even further. "What has that creep been telling you?"

"T-that you're a nice vampire hunter, that you can give Kratos a new treaty and that you're his girlfriend," Yuan replied with a mild stutter, apparently also starting to fear his life might be on the line.

"Yes to the first, yes to the second and no to the third," Sheena said shortly, lowering her stake again. "Come on, I'll take you to my village. We can talk there."

I felt myself relax, yet I knew that I still had to stay on guard. Though, it seemed that this Sheena girl was fair and would at least hear my story out before threatening to kill me again.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

((**Meowzy:** Whoops! Sorry about the lateness! Eheheh... I just don't know where my mind's at these days. Most likely it's with Tales of the Abyss... But anyway, here's Sam's next chapter! Enjoy!))

* * *

Chapter Twenty-one.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

You ever have that feeling when you just want to sink into the floorboards and die? Ever have that feeling when you've been caught at something that you didn't want anybody to know about until it had been done? Ever felt so ashamed that you can't even _look_ at that person anymore?

Yeah, that basically sums up my train of thought right now.

Kratos had his hand on my shoulder so tight I thought he was going to dislocate it. And the message was clear. _'We're talking about this as soon as we're alone.'_

My fist clenched around the necklace in my pocket, fingers feeling the smooth jewel. A sign of our love… Well, might as well throw that against the wall and shatter it into a thousand pieces, like how Kratos' pendant broke.

He can't love me after… after I tried to turn myself into what he so despised. And I did it for him. I just…

I just wanted to scream in frustration, in anger, _in agony_, and throw a little temper tantrum, throw everything against the wall and break it, this necklace, these damn rules, these treaties, my humanity too. I wanted it to shatter into a million pieces and then I'd throw Kratos too, against the wall, and make sweet love to him, because I yearned for him, though I'd break him, break his heart to see me as what he was, and I'd cry…

"-Yuan."

Oh, they were talking about me. I should try to pay better attention.

"Um…is he all right? I mean, He must be scared because of Pronyma, but…"

"She said he came to her himself to…"

Blanks need not be filled by anyone. The meaning was clear, and I clenched my fist even tighter.

"Wow… erm… Is he…?" I could barely see it, but she made the universal sign for crazy.

"I'm… not quite sure anymore," Kratos said, and I could feel his hand reaching up to stroke my cheek. Hypocrite. I defended him from any insult, and yet he could not defend me? He just agreed with her?

Before I knew it, I had swatted his hand away. With the hand that held the silver necklace in it. I could almost hear the sizzle of his skin against the silver.

"Don't touch me, you damn hypocrite," I said, looking at the ground I stood on, blinking the tears away.

"Yuan! What-?"

My head whipped up, looking at him through teary eyes.

"What? WHAT? Do you think I'm insane now? Do you think that I'm not right in the head? Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps I had a _reason_ for what I did? But no, I couldn't have, could I? Because I'm CRAZY! Kratos, I did it for you! I didn't want you to hurt anymore. Don't you think I was scared, that I was having second thoughts? But I would have done it a million times over for you! That's what it means to love someone. But you wouldn't know that, would you Kratos? Because you don't love me!"

That's when I tried to run, but I was caught quickly by Kratos' hand on my wrist. I struggled against his grip, trying to free my hand.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"Yuan, calm down!"

I didn't want to calm down. All I could feel was anger. There was only one thing I could say to make him let me go. So I said it, regardless of the fact that it would hurt him. I wanted him to hurt, like I hurt.

"Let go of me, you _monster_!"

His fingers instantly fell away from my wrist, and I stumbled backward, my eyes just frozen on his. They lost all the anger and edge to them, and my hand went to cover my mouth. His were wide with shock and what could only be described as pure anguish. I had only wanted to make him happy, but in the end all I did was cut the deepest wound in his heart.

"Kratos, I didn't mean it. I was angry…"

It all fell on deaf ears. He fled, and I didn't try to stop him. Who could blame him? His only love had just called him the ultimate insult. If he had still loved me before… he didn't now.

I just sat down, head in hands. I couldn't cry. I couldn't feel sorry because I had known what I was doing, and did it anyway. That was the worst part of it.

I could feel Sheena's presence in front of me, and I waved a hand at her.

"Just leave me alone… Please…"

She caught my hand, and pressed something into it.

"He deserves it… no, not even deserving it… he _needs_ it. I'm sorry about what I said before." Then she was gone. I raised what it was up to my eyes. Purple. A purple pendant. There, in my hands, was our salvation.

Ironic, huh? I just tore it apart with my hands, and now I held the bandage for our love in those same hands. I cradled it in my hands, making sure it wouldn't be broken, before getting up to go find him. I needed to try to mend it, and if I couldn't, just give him this, so he could try to start over again.

For some reason, I had the feeling that perhaps this might turn out all right for once. That our troubles were over. Well, it wasn't really over until I gave this to Kratos and he forgave me, if he did forgive me.

But I had the belief that the gods were in our favor today.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** Oh, are they, Yuan? _Are_ they? -_smirk_-)) 


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

((**Meowzy:** Aaand my turn again. Yup. Oh, how we wish things would just go smoothly for once. But, alas for Kratos, an easy life is just not meant to be. Hey, thanks for the reviews, everyone!))

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Chapter Twenty-two.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

Just like before, I found myself running through the paths of Gaoracchia forest. Just running as fast as my legs could carry me. This time, however, I had no clue where I was going.

'_Let go of me, you monster!_' 

His words were ringing through my head. Echoing sharply in my mind. I couldn't shake them, no matter how hard I tried.

I really was a monster. Yuan cared about me, yet all I did was scare him off. Or maybe… Maybe the curse was real. The curse that doomed relationships between humans and vampires.

By the time I stopped running, I'd completely lost my sense of direction. I leaned forward, clutching my chest, trying to catch my breath. My heart was hammering painfully, yet I wasn't quite sure whether it was because of all the exercise or not. What was I going to do now? Where was I supposed to go? He was willing to sacrifice his mortal life to be with me, yet now he'd called me a monster. It was all too contradictory and confusing. Did he truly love me, or not? I couldn't tell anymore.

I froze the second I heard footsteps behind me. Then I hastily pushed myself into an upright position, smiling. My heart started to race once more. Yuan had come after me! He did love me!

"Well well, look what we have here," said an awfully familiar voice.

It was as though I'd been doused with several buckets of cold water. My stomach dropped an incredible distance as I whipped around to face Mithos Yggdrasill.

"You!"

Mithos smiled, taking one last drag from his cigarette before throwing it carelessly into the forest. "Me."

My eyes immediately shifted around, trying to find every possible exit. The results weren't all too pleasing. Most of the path had been overgrown with thick bushes and branches. The only ways out were in front of me and behind me. Neither were too appealing, as Mithos had a clear shot no matter which direction I took.

"You don't look too happy. What's the matter? Did your boyfriend finally notice you're a freak?" Mithos asked in a smooth voice, an amused hint in his eyes betraying that he knew he was stabbing an already sore wound.

"How did you-"

"Oh please." Mithos gave an impatient wave with his hand. "It was only a matter of time before he came to his senses. Nobody could love something like _you_."

"What do you want?" I hissed, already knowing the answer.

"I'd like to see you dead, actually." Mithos kept talking in that smooth, casual voice, taking a step forward. I backed away. "I mean, honestly Kratos, how selfish can you be? You made me chase you all the way out here. In the middle of nowhere. That's not very nice at all, is it?"

I continued to step backwards, feeling very much like a trapped animal. Then again, that was exactly what I was. A beast, trying to escape its hunter.

Mithos reached into the deep pocket of his long trench coat, a cruel smile appearing on his face. Swiftly, he pulled out an old-fashioned pistol, which he pointed directly at my face. "_Is it?_" he asked again, more threatening this time.

I could feel myself panic even more. How had Zelos described this guy again? Sadistic? He sure as hell wasn't kidding. What was even worse was that right now, Yggdrasill had every right to shoot me. I was a vampire who had broken his treaty by biting a mortal. _Twice_!

But I couldn't let myself get shot now. I couldn't let myself die. Yuan would be devastated. He'd assured me many times that he would be. He'd assured me many times that he loved me, even if I was a monster. Now that Mithos was holding a gun to my face, I was wondering how I could ever have doubted that.

"Cat got your tongue?" The blonde asked, still stepping closer.

"I… I won't let you shoot me!" I shouted, gathering up the last of my courage. "I'm a much better man than you! I deserve a second chance! So I won't let you kill me!"

Mithos chuckled softly. "Nobody said anything about killing just yet."

Only briefly, I wondered what he was talking about. All that changed in the fraction of a second. The pistol was directed away from my face, pointing to a slightly lower point. My eyes widened, but that was about all the movement I could manage before a loud bang echoed through the forest, causing nearby birds to take flight. A horrible stinging pain, unlike anything I'd ever felt before, coursed through my shoulder. Not until I hit the ground did I realize that I'd fallen backwards. Not until my throat started to feel raw did I notice I was crying out in pain.

"Nice things, aren't they? Silver bullets," Mithos commented, still smirking widely.

Clutching my wound with one hand, I scuttled backwards. Warm blood was running through my fingers, down my chest. I had to grit my teeth to keep myself from screaming again. My heart was hammering louder than ever before and my breath came in pained gasps. It was as though a hole was being burned through my shoulder, the fire slowly spreading out through my entire body. The bullet was still in there.

Mithos crouched down in front of me, peering at my face intently. "I've always wondered what it feels like for a vampire to touch silver."

I ignored his words and started to claw at my shoulder in wild panic. Digging into the wound with my fingernails, in the hopes of getting to the bullet and pulling it out. This only pushed it in further, and the amount of blood increased significantly. Cold sweat started to run down my face.

"Does it hurt that much? Does it burn? Tell me," Mithos demanded, sounding like a curious little boy.

"B-bastard!" I managed to splutter.

"If I'm a bastard, so are you," He remarked coldly. "Only half human, and unwanted at that. You should never have been born in the first place."

Tears started to run down my face, but I barely noticed. Slowly, steadily, Mithos pushed himself to his feet, dusting himself off before pointing the gun at me again. I was going to die, wasn't I? Without being able to apologise to Yuan, I was going to die.

All of a sudden, there was a rustling sound somewhere to my left. Before I'd fully processed this, someone had already jumped through the bushes with incredible speed and punched Mithos in the face. Or… _attempted to_, anyway. The blonde had seen the attack coming and held up one hand to catch the oncoming fist. Cursing, the newcomer hopped back again.

"Another familiar face… Though we haven't seen each other in quite a few years." Mithos murmured with a nostalgic smile. "You've grown rather tall, mr. Wilder."

I blinked, trying to stop my vision from blurring long enough to see Zelos standing in front of me. He looked positively enraged.

"As have you, Yggdrasill," The red-head growled.

"Please, call me Mithos."

"I'd rather not," Zelos replied gruffly.

"Suit yourself." Mithos shrugged and pulled a cigarette box out of his pocket. "Well, as fun as it is to meet up with old _friends_, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have a job to do, you see."

"Can't let you do that. Kratos is innocent. You have no right to shoot him." Zelos moved to stand in front of me.

"Oh? He forfeited his right to live when he broke the treaty, by my knowing." Mithos placed a cigarette between his lips, slipping the box back into his pocket. Then he pulled out a silver lighter.

"When have you ever cared about treaties? They never stopped you before," Zelos' eyes had a rather curious expression in them. One I couldn't quite identify.

"Hmm… Yes, that was rather unfortunate for your mother, wasn't it? But she was a full-blood. She was too dangerous to have around." There was a flicking sound and a little flame danced to life on Mithos' lighter.

"She had done nothing! She wouldn't have hurt a fly, but you killed her anyway!" Zelos' voice sounded a bit off.

"I'm still not seeing the problem. Better safe than sorry," Mithos snapped the lighter shut again, closing his eyes as he breathed in the smoke of his cigarette. "Maybe I should shoot you too, just to be sure."

"Get out of here!" Zelos roared, pointing down the path. "This place isn't your territory! It's no concern of yours what the vampires here do."

"Fine. I'll let it go for now." Mithos simply shrugged, turning back to leave. "But don't think that it ends here."

With that, Mithos had run off, disappearing into the darkness of Gaoracchia forest. But my troubles were far from over. My mind was running a complete blank and my vision blurred even further. Every part of my body felt like it was on fire, but my shoulder was still stinging most of all.

"Kratos?" Zelos' hand shook me roughly, causing me to cry out in pain once more. "Oh, sorry."

I leaned forward, still clutching my shoulder, my face contorted in agony as I let out a pained sound through gritted teeth. My consciousness was starting to slip. My last thought, before everything turned black, was that I regretted not seeing Yuan one last time.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

((**Meowzy:** Well, Sam still refuses to give an author's note. Don't ask me why, I have no clue. Uhm... Enjoy her chapter.))

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Chapter Twenty-three.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I was following Kratos' tracks when I heard the gunshot. I almost dropped the pendant, but caught it. It scared me, but it scared me even more to think about where it came from. I started to run, following the upset grass and mud. I slid around the corner, mud getting on my pants, but I continued, stumbling slightly.

When I got there, I just stood there for a second. Just frozen. I almost dropped the pendant again, but managed to catch it by its long chain. Zelos looked up at me -How'd he get here?- and managed to splutter out, "Silver!"

I was by his side in a second, looking at the gaping wound in Kratos' shoulder, dug by his nails in haste to get the bullet out. That's when my eyes narrowed.

"You stupid bastard!"

Zelos scuttled away from my outburst, standing a few feet away in what he deemed the 'safety zone'.

"You run off, and look! You get yourself shot!" I ripped his shirt sleeve open, and gently started to tease the bullet out. There was no way I was going to get it out in one try. He had pushed it in too far with his frantic diggings.

He groaned, almost waking up, his eyelids fluttering. I almost had it out… Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Zelos sneaking away, muttering about 'romantic settings' and 'making sure blondie doesn't mess it up'. I rolled my eyes, and with a sickening squelching noise, the bullet pulled free of his flesh, and I tossed it over my shoulder.

Only then did he wake up, blinking in confusion before looking at me. "Yuan…?"

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I? You always go off and do something totally stupid! You're going to be the death of me, Kratos!" I said, gesturing with my blood-covered fingers. I ripped a piece of his shirt sleeve off, and tied it tight around the wound that was still slightly bleeding.

I didn't even notice for the first few seconds that he was licking his own blood off of my fingers.

"You know, that's your blood," I said.

"Doesn't taste as good as yours. And you know, you're the only person in the world who can say that as calmly as they did."

"I love my vampire. He's all mine," I told him, hugging him. He grunted in pain, and I let go. The pendant was out of sight in my lap. I wanted to surprise him.

"Yuan… I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you-"

"You're apologizing to me? I'm the one who called you a…a… I can't even say it. I really, really didn't mean it, Kratos. I was just really angry," I said earnestly. I hope he took me back…

"Heh. If anyone can understand that, it's me…"

"But _you_ have a reason. I don't, Kratos. I just…was angry."

"Of course you had a reason, Yuan. You've been stressed out, frustrated, and hurt by this for a while now. You always thought you were the cause of my pain, and I never did anything to discourage you of that. That's why you tried to fix it. And then I just assumed that it wasn't my fault, and that there was something wrong with you. I was the one who was at fault. You just did what you thought was right, because you loved me. I love you too, Yuan… I have no way to prove it like you have, but I can at least say I'm sorry."

I smiled gently at him, cupping his cheek.

"I know you love me. You don't have to prove it. Just the fact that you admit that you were wrong is enough for me. Anyway, you can show me expressively how much you love me in a few seconds."

He looked at me, confused. That's when I brought up the pendant, grinning.

"Compliments of Sheena. I was coming to give it to you before I heard the gunshot. Here." I leaned in, undoing the clasp and slipping it around his neck. I barely had the clasp done when his lips crashed into mine.

He tasted so sweet after all the weeks of not being able to even touch him. I relaxed as he pushed me onto the ground, hands on my shoulders, leaning over me. I squinted to see if I was seeing something right, then blurted it out.

"Your eyes…" I said, pointing up at his eyes.

"You didn't know that eye color is determined by the color of the pendant? All vampires have red eyes, unless you have a pendant, and that color is the fake color of their eyes."

"You never told me that…" I said, shifting under him. But now that I think about it, Zelos' pendant is blue, and his eyes are blue… Kratos' old pendant was ruby red, and his eyes were ruby… But now his eyes were a bright vivid purple that sparkled. I missed his wonderful soulful ruby eyes, but it lasted for only an instant when I saw his new purple eyes flash with love and lust. If I had to describe them, I would say perhaps loving… No, not even that. Passionate.

A passionate purple, like the passion flower.

How fitting. I wonder if Sheena planned this…?

No, she couldn't have. She didn't have the time. Plus, it was never actually said we were lovers. It must have been a fluke.

But… It was a _brilliant_ fluke. First of all, his eyes turned me on. The way they flashed and sparkled had me aroused in no time flat. Plus, it seemed like his personality had changed ever so slightly. He seemed more… How shall I put it? Intimate? Passionate? Loving? All of them described it perfectly. But that could be because it had been so long since I had felt him touch me… And it was too long for him too.

I had to stop him, much to his discontent, but we _were_ in the middle of a dark forest and he looked almost exhausted. He seemed to want to show me that he loved me, though I already knew. But I just let him hold me for what seemed like hours on end.

Finally, we did have to get up to go back to Mizuho. Or at least try. This forest was very complicated.

"Maybe if we find Zelos…we can get back faster-Eep! _Kratos!_" He had just snuck up behind me and kissed me on the neck right where the bite marks were.

"Mmm… You still taste delightful…" He said seductively, pulling me backwards against him. I moaned, but then snapped back to my senses.

"Okay, horny vampire back off," I said, pulling out of his grip and making the sign of the cross.

"But Yuan…"

"At least _wait_ until we get to Mizuho and get that wound treated? Then you can do whatever you want to me."

He grinned like a kid in a candy store, then practically pulled me down the path.

"What are we waiting for? We have to find Zelos!"

I just rolled my eyes, and let myself be pulled.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

((**Meowzy:** W00t! My turn again. I liked this chapter a lot, because it features the return of Pervert Kratos, as seen in chapter two! I liked Pervert Kratos, so I was sad to see him go for so long.))

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Chapter Twenty-four.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

It wasn't long until we'd met up with Zelos, who led us to the village of Mizuho. Though he did so rather _reluctantly_. I couldn't blame him. Something had happened between Sheena and him. Judging from Sheena's reaction to his name, it was something bad. I didn't dare ask what it was, though.

Instead, I stuck close to Yuan as we made our way through the forest. So close I was just about breathing down his neck. He didn't seem to mind though. He'd gotten past the fear of me walking behind him.

Finally, unfiltered daylight reached our eyes, signaling that we'd exited the forest. Not too far away lay a quaint little village, surrounded by a wooden fence. The architecture of the buildings was like something you'd only see in books. I'd never seen anything similar with my own eyes.

"That's Mizuho?" Yuan asked.

"That's Mizuho." Zelos gave a curt nod, before turning to leave. "Well, you can handle the rest by yourself, right?"

"Oh no you don't!" I reached out to grab him with one hand, pulling him back. "You're coming with us."

"I'm sure your _girlfriend_ missed you. You should say hello," Yuan added with a mean smile.

Zelos started laughing nervously, giving the village another shifty glance. "Y-yes! Of course!"

By the time we'd actually reached the village, however, Zelos was trying to hide himself behind my back, making sure he wasn't seen. As we approached the town gates, a man clothed in a blue ninja outfit came running towards us.

"State your business," He demanded shortly.

"We're here to see Sheena Fujibayashi."

One glance at my pendant apparently told the man enough, as he stormed off again, ordering us to 'wait here'. Not long after, Sheena appeared on the scene, looking slightly confused.

"I already gave you your treaty. What else do you-" she broke off when she saw my shoulder, that was still wrapped in a bloody bandage. "What happened?"

"He got shot by Mithos Yggdrasill before I could give him the pendant," Yuan replied, a tone of weariness in his voice.

"Mithos? Oh, that bastard!" Sheena let out a low growl, approaching me and taking a look at my shoulder. "Well, it doesn't look too bad. Our doctor can clean it up a little and give you some medicine for the pain."

Just then, the girl looked past my shoulder, to spot something behind me. More specifically, a certain red-head, who was still intent on hiding behind my back.

"_Zelos_!"

Sheena practically shoved me out of the way to get to her supposed boyfriend, who flew three feet into the air in shock before turning to flee. He'd been grabbed by the scruff of his neck within a second.

"Ahhh! Sheena! L-let go! I can explain!" Zelos flailed helplessly, trying to free himself from the girl's grip.

"You have _some_ nerve, showing your face here again!" Sheena snapped, looking more aggravated than ever before.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I'm sorry!"

"I'll do more than _hurt_ you!" Sheena started pulling the man's hair, eliciting high-pitched shrieks.

Zelos clapped his hands together in prayer. "Oh goddess, please save me from this demonic violent banshee!"

"Why you-"

Finally, I managed to stop myself from laughing enough so I could step in and prevent a full-blown massacre. "Sheena, cut him some slack. I don't know what the guy did to you, but he saved my life in the forest."

"Y-yeah! I'm a hero!" Zelos spluttered.

Sheena half sighed-half growled and released the red locks of hair. Zelos hastily moved to stand behind me again, peeking over my shoulder with a cautious expression. Yuan raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

"Let's go see the doctor." Sheena huffed, turning to walk away. We decided it would be best to follow her instructions obediently and followed, ignoring the stares from other Mizuho-ans.

* * *

A few hours later, Yuan, Sheena, Zelos and myself were sitting in the living room of the Mizuho guest house. As promised, Mizuho's doctor had cleaned up my wound and wrapped it up with fresh bandages. Then, he'd given me some sort of strange tea. I wasn't sure what was in it, but it dulled the pain significantly. Because of my vampire blood, the injury would be healed for the most part in about a week. This was one of the few advantages of being a 'freak'. 

Finally, realization hit me that it was still early in the afternoon. So much had happened since I'd awoken to find Yuan missing, yet so little time had passed…

"So, what's the story between you two?" Yuan asked curiously, abandoning the attempt to eat his noodles with chopsticks.

Zelos and Sheena, sitting on opposite sides of the table, exchanged a quick glance. Since the other seemed too timid to respond, Sheena decided to do the explaining.

"We used to go out. _Used to_," She said, her eyes darkening again.

"What happened?"

"This idiot is scared of commitment." Sheena looked just about ready to get up and shove Zelos' face through the table.

"That's a gross overstatement!" the red-head exclaimed. "You were moving too fast, that's all. Talkin' about marriage…"

"I was talking about my _cousin_'s marriage!"

"So? It's always the same with you women! As soon as you get that idea planted in your head, you'll want to get married too!"

This time, Sheena really _did_ get up to slam Zelos' face into the table. I managed to grab my cup of noodles just in time. Yuan's, however, toppled over.

"So you decided to run off!" the girl roared, proceeding to shove the man further into the table.

"Ow! Sheena! S-stop it! My beautiful face!" Zelos flailed helplessly once more, clearly overpowered.

"Eh…" It was at that moment that Yuan seemed to realize he shouldn't have asked.

* * *

At last, Sheena and Zelos had gone, leaving me to rest. Of course, I knew that there wouldn't be much resting. Judging from the way Sheena had told me to clean up any mess we might make, she'd known this as well. 

The second the bedroom door closed behind us, I wrapped my arms around Yuan's neck, pinning him against the wall as I started claiming his delicious lips with my own. Breathing in his scent. I pushed my hips against his, causing him to gasp into the kiss. I could hear his heartbeat speeding up. Slowly, I moved down to kiss his neck, sucking gently at the skin, nibbling it.

"Mm… Kratos…"

His voice only turning me on further, I slipped one of my hands into his pants. The other strayed up his shirt. Yuan moaned deeply, tugging at my belt in an attempt to get it off. I chuckled, moving him away from the wall and towards the bed, where I dropped him. Then I sat down on his lap, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it away. My own soon joined his. Once again, I marveled at the sight of Yuan's chest. His creamy skin… Those emerald eyes… He was just… so _pure_.

I leaned forward to catch his lips in another kiss. As I did, a nasty stab of pain shot through my shoulder, causing me to flinch. Yuan noticed.

"Lie down," he commanded.

"What?"

"Just do it."

Slightly confused, I let Yuan flip me over and got situated against the pillows. He started to undo my belt again, smirking slyly.

"Yuan… I hate getting bottom. I'm already injured, you know." I started pouting like a petulant child, hoping to change his mind. It felt way too unnatural for me to be the 'woman', even if my shoulder _was_ aching.

"Just because you're at the bottom doesn't mean you can't be the active one." Yuan whispered, still grinning widely before leaning forward to lick my ear.

"Mmm… I love you." Was all I said as I wrapped my arms around him to pull him closer. Yes, I made sure to love him. At least seven times.

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((**Meowzy:** Hahah, seven times! Ahahah! ... Yeah, inside joke. -_snorts_-  
Oh, and every time you forget to review, a seraph loses his wings!)) 


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

((**Meowzy:** And the story continues, with another one of Sam's chapters! Enjoy, people. Enjoy.))

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Chapter Twenty-five.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

Light assaulted my eyes the next morning bright and early. I curled up in Kratos' arms, burying my head in his bare chest. I could feel his hand as a reaction slid down to grab my ass, squeezing lightly. I rolled my eyes. Stupid pervert.

But I was glad that finally he was back to his old self. Well, mostly. I knew things would maybe never go back to how they were before all this. I lifted up my hand to feel the raised scar on my face. The stitches had disintegrated a while ago, but the puffy line marring my face was still there, and it would be there forever.

I didn't notice it at first, but Kratos had woken up and was watching me. His fingers pushed my hand away, gently tracing the angry line on my cheek.

"You're still beautiful to me," he said, leaning down and pressing his lips to it. His voice was tinged with guilt. He might not have really caused the actual wound, but he made it worse when he started lick the blood from it. He would always remember what he did by the marks on my body. Namely, this scar and the bite mark on my neck that I liked to hide with a collar.

I brushed my hands through his hair, a slight smile on my face. He smiled back blissfully, cuddling into my neck, breathing deeply. Kratos was so sweet when he was post-coital. And this phase lasted for quite a while with him.

"You not only taste like honey, you smell like it too," he said, licking my neck slightly. I pondered slightly, before asking a question.

"Kratos? When I was with Pronyma, she told me that my blood is special because it drives vampires crazy…both ways. Is it…really that bad?"

He paused slightly, perhaps considering his answer.

"I… Sometimes it is. The first time I met you, all I could actually think about was getting you into bed, and…" His voice dropped down to a whisper. "Maybe tasting your blood. But… as I started trying to seduce you, I realized that you were the one who unwittingly seduced me. I fell for you, hard. And I thought it was impossible for me, a vampire, a-"

I slapped a hand on his mouth.

"Say it, and I _will_ hurt you," I threatened, frowning. My hand left his mouth once he had nodded.

"Sorry, love. As I was saying, I thought it was impossible for me to find love. Who in their right mind would accept me? People are naturally afraid of vampires. I never doubted that somebody…normal would never love a vampire."

"But…I do," I said, looking up at him. He chuckled.

"You can also pull off the most innocent expression on the planet. But yes, you are an exception. A wonderful exception. I don't think I could have lived at all if you had rejected me."

"See? I did have a good point!" I said, poking him in the chest. He laughed again, stroking my hair. I was almost ecstatic that he was finally laughing and smiling again.

"We have to get up soon," Kratos whispered in my ear. I frowned.

"But I don't want to get up, I want to stay here!" Really, I did. I didn't want to face the reality outside this bedroom.

"Wasn't this on the other foot a few weeks ago?" Kratos asked, smirking slightly. I knew that smirk anywhere. It was his perverted smirk.

Before I knew it, I was on my back, Kratos kneeling over me, his hands roaming all over my body.

"What happened to getting up?" I asked him, before gasping as he started to massage my bare thighs. He _knew_ that my thighs were one of the most sensitive parts on my body, other than my neck. Heh. It's sort of ironic when the most sensitive part of your body is your neck when your lover is a vampire.

"Well, you said you didn't want to. So I decided that I should make you happy instead. You're always happiest when I'm touching you like this," he said, leaning down so that his face was inches from mine. His pendant's cold touch was on my own chest, a contrast between hot skin, and his fingers moved in soothing, yet sensual circles on my thighs.

"Not true. I'm happiest when you're here, just around me. Though…ah!" He hit a particular spot, right on the inseam of my leg, his fingers teasing at it. He smirked, watching me writhe slightly under his hands.

He continued to stroke it, knowing full well what he was doing. My breath quickened as I started to become aroused. That stupid, idiotic, perverted, brilliant, sensual, passionate vampire.

"Kratos…_please_…" I moaned, tossing my hips, rubbing my legs against his, anything to get rid of the sexual pressure pushing down on me. Just like he was pushing down on me, his body pressing down on mine. He wouldn't give. He wanted me to be as worked up as I possibly could be so that when he finally did, I would scream.

Then, he did something unexpected. He stopped, and got off of me, standing up and pulling away. I looked up, my body flush and hot against the cold cotton sheets. He looked back at me, smirking. I could see his shrunken fangs almost gleam.

"Well, I guess we should get up now."

"Kratos…you-" I couldn't even phrase what I wanted to say to him.

"Don't worry, there's always the shower." His smirk grew more pronounced, his purple eyes betraying his real feelings. He walked to the bathroom, leaving the door open slightly.

I closed my eyes, and could imagine myself pushed up against a white tile wall, water pounding down on us. My hand clasped cold metal as Kratos' body pushed itself closer. Red water swirled around us as red streaked the white tile. I called his name as his fangs bit into me once more, and I wrapped my arms around his, nails digging into his flesh.

My eyes shot open. Wow, I really _was_ obsessed with him biting me. Is that…normal? Maybe I should ask him…

The turning on of the shower water snapped me to my present situation. I knew I would get no peace today, for he would make love to me endlessly.

I smirked to myself, before getting up and taking the sheets with me.

He's such a pervert.

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((**Meowzy:** -_nosebleed_-)) 


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

((**Meowzy:** Alright, time for a little 'explanation/let's throw in some more trouble' chapter! Meheheheheh...))

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Chapter Twenty-six.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

I lay on the bed, idly humming a song to myself as I stared at the ceiling. Finally, the world felt right again. I had a treaty, but more importantly; I had my Yuan.

Not at the moment though. At the moment, he had left for a morning walk. Though, perhaps it was more of an afternoon walk. I wasn't sure what time it was, because the people of Mizuho didn't believe in clocks. Judging from the sun's position, however, it was probably somewhere near twelve o' clock.

I'd wanted to go with Yuan, but he practically forced me to stay behind, claiming he wanted some 'alone time'. Maybe it was for the best… I was wondering how he could even walk at all after last night. Perhaps half-elves had more endurance…

A wide grin appeared on my face as I remembered last night more vividly. I truly did love him. I loved holding him, I loved touching him and I loved kissing him. But I also loved just being with him. A few months ago, I'd never have thought things would end up like this. I'd never looked for a permanent relationship before, but now I was wondering what I was so afraid of in the first place.

A curt knock at the door caused me to sit up. I frowned mildly. Was Yuan back already? No, he couldn't be. Besides, Yuan wouldn't knock.

"Come in," I called, wondering who it would be at a time like this.

The door practically banged open and Zelos barged into the room with a big smirk. He quickly cast one last glance into the hallway before snapping the door shut behind him. Was he hiding from someone?

"Yo!" he proclaimed cheerfully.

"Good morning, Zelos," I replied in a blank tone of voice.

"Finally managed to pry Yuan off you?" he asked, sitting down on the bed without waiting for an invitation. "Well, that's probably for the best, huh? You shouldn't push yourself with that shoulder."

"Yeah…" my hand automatically moved to my bandaged shoulder. It wasn't hurting that much, but still stung on occasion. Then I looked up to fix Zelos with a faint smile. "I still haven't properly thanked you for saving my life."

Zelos' eyes widened before he looked away with a grimace. "Oh, well, you know... Uncle Botta would've killed me if either one of you died. Besides, I still have a score to settle with Mithos."

I blinked, thinking back to that night in Gaoracchia forest. I'd been pretty far out of it, but I could still remember the conversation between Zelos and Mithos Yggdrasill. Perhaps it was a rude thing to ask, but… I wanted to know.

"Mithos… Did he kill your mother?" I enquired softly.

Though Zelos' gaze was still fixed on the floor, his eyes took on a definite gleam of sorrow. He didn't say a word.

"Ah… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I shouldn't have asked in the first place," I added, regretting my decision.

"No, that's okay. It'd be good to get it off my chest." Zelos sat up straight, a sad smile on his face. "Like I said before, my mom was a pureblood. Even in spite of that, she married my father and had a child with him. Still, my old man died not long after I was born, leaving mom to take care of me by herself. I think that, in a way, she hated me for only being a half-blood. From what I can remember though, she always treated me fairly. It wasn't my fault, after all."

I gave a short nod. In a way, Zelos' mother was similar to mine. Though despising the fact that her child shared only half her blood, she raised him. The fundamental difference, however, was that my mother made it seem like it _was_ my fault I was half vampire.

"One day, when I was eight years old, I was playing outside in the backyard. Mom came to tell me that dinner was ready, but I didn't listen to her. I wanted to play some more. So she had to walk all the way to the other side of the garden to come get me." Zelos paused for a moment, biting his bottom lip. "Before I knew what was going on, Mithos had jumped out of nowhere and… killed her."

"Even though she had a treaty?" I asked. For some reason, however, I wasn't all that surprised. Mithos truly was a sadistic murderer, who held no respect for any vampire.

"Yes. She'd never harmed anyone, but he killed her anyway," Zelos whispered with a painful expression. "Then he turned to me and said that I had to be a good boy, otherwise I'd end up just like her."

"Why didn't he just kill you on the spot?" I wondered. "Did he feel sorry for you because you were a child?"

"Nah." Zelos gave a hollow chuckle. "It was because I had a treaty with Sheena's family. I was born near Ozette, so my parents asked the Fujibayashis for protection instead of the Yggdrasills. He couldn't lay a finger on me."

"I see…" I muttered, not daring to look at the red-head.

What a sad story… But wait-

"If you were only eight back then, how could Mithos…"

"He's a half-elf too, you know. His aging process is slowed. You don't actually think he's in his twenties, do you?" Zelos raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, of course…" I scratched the back of my head with a sheepish grin. How foolish of me not to remember something like that.

A few minutes passed, as we both sat in silence. Two half-vampires, trying to live life like normal human beings. We'd both had our share of problems throughout the years, I'm sure. Finally, Zelos broke the silence.

"Do you know why I really left Sheena?" he asked, looking up.

I blinked again, slightly confused. He didn't leave her because he wasn't ready for commitment?

"It was because of the curse," He stated, his deep blue eyes peering deeply into mine.

The curse… The reason that I'd never looked for a real relationship before… It was why I only thought of getting Yuan into bed when I first met him. The curse that afflicted all beings who were vampires.

A long time ago, a vampire hunter's wife was killed by a vampire whom he had a treaty with. Enraged, the hunter sought out the power of black magic to place a curse on the vampires who had betrayed him. All those who carried vampire blood would never find happiness in the arms of a non-vampire mate. Their human lovers would see the monster lurking inside them, and be driven away. Only if a vampire would display an act of pure heart, would the curse be broken for all.

That was how the story had been passed down.

"Isn't that just a fairy tale?" I scoffed. Sure, I'd driven Yuan away a few times, yet he'd always returned. He'd _seen_ the monster inside me, yet denied its existence.

"It's real. I've traveled all over the place and talked to many other vampires. Either half-blood, or full. They all said the same thing. The curse does exist." Zelos moved himself onto the bed completely, shifting a bit closer. "Even though she said it didn't matter, I could see it in Sheena's eyes whenever I took off my pendant. She was scared. So I left."

"Did you really think that would save her some grief?" I asked, severely doubtful. After all, Sheena did seem truly upset, even if she didn't show it through tears.

"I know it did. If I stayed, I would've ended up hurting her." Zelos sighed deeply. "The same will happen to Yuan and you."

"It won't. I know it won't," I stated firmly. In a way, I was hurt that Zelos would even _think_ such a thing.

"What if you lose your pendant again? What if you accidentally bite him again? How many more times do you think he'll come running back?" the red-head urged, moving even closer to me. Why was he getting so close? What was that strange look on his face?

"I…"

"You're better off letting him down now. If you don't, you will hurt him a lot more."

I was utterly astounded by what happened next. Zelos crawled into my lap completely, his legs on either side of my waist, ensuring that I couldn't get up. His arms wrapped around my neck as he stared into my eyes again. I found myself unable to look away.

"Zelos! What are you-"

"We're both half-bloods. The curse wouldn't affect us. You should let Yuan go and stay with me instead. For _his_ sake as well."

The next second, Zelos had closed up the small remaining distance between us to kiss me on the lips. At first, I was shocked. My mind ran a complete blank. Then, however, the thought that he was actually a good kisser flashed through my head. I noticed that Zelos smelled kind of nice. In a reflex, I started to lean into the kiss, my tongue exploring his mouth. It was completely on instinct, after years of experience in matters such as this, that I raised a hand to run my fingers through Zelos' thick, unruly locks of hair. Then I felt his lips curve into a triumphant smirk.

… Fuck!

What the hell was I _doing_? Why was I letting this guy seduce me? I didn't love him! I didn't even like him! Sure, the old Kratos would've let him get away with this… But the new Kratos didn't need him. The new Kratos had Yuan.

Right on cue, I heard a soft gasp originate from somewhere near the door. My stomach plummeted faster than humanly possible and a cold feeling spread through my body. I managed to push Zelos off me just in time to see Yuan turn tail and run off.

What had I done?

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((**Meowzy:** Oh man, we're such bastards, aren't we? -_chuckles_-)) 


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

((**Meowzy:** Aaand another chapter from Sam.))

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Chapter twenty-seven.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

I shouldn't have run. I should have stayed and seen what really had happened. But of course, I already knew what happened. _Bastard!_ I should have stayed and strangled him.

_Which one? _My ever-annoying brain asks. _The one who was cheating on you, or the one who was taking him away from you?_

Both, probably.

Decisions you make on the spur of them moment usually don't seem very good about five minutes later. I was finding this to be very true. Why had I run all the way back into this accursed forest and gotten lost in it? Maybe I'll die of starvation and they'll find my body two weeks later. And then Kr-the _bastard_ will become all angst-ridden because he drove me to it. Serve him right.

Well, I guess I couldn't really blame him. Zelos was his kind. But I thought he loved me. He said that so many times last night…and this morning, in the shower… He whispered it in my ear and brushed my wet hair back behind my ear to kiss it. But could he have lied that entire time about what he really felt for me?

I sat down, rubbing my shoulder with my hand. Something stung, so I pulled back my collar to look at it. It was the bite-mark he gave me. I poked it, feeling it sting slightly again. Wincing, I almost pulled my collar back up when I thought of something I had heard.

Didn't Pronyma say that the bite meant he had chosen me as his mate/lover/whatever? But…wasn't he not…erm…_himself_ when he did that? And I didn't remember anything very much…

There was blood… There was blackness… And a whispered sentence…

"_You're mine, forever."_

I jumped up in shock. Even his _vampire half_ loved me! If that wasn't a declaration of love, then I don't know what is! But then again… he did slam me into a wall, and try to kill me, but let's just say that it's a sort of rough love.

I started to pace, thinking about it. So if he loved me even in his vampire, suck-your-blood state, then he must not have cheated on me on purpose! His love ran through both consciousnesses, nobody could deny something that powerful. That meant…

_Zelos._ Didn't Sheena warn me that he was a philanderer? He made a move on him, and I just walked in at a bad time and took it wrong! That must be it! Sorry, Botta, but you're going to be short one nephew when I get a hold of that vampire-stealer.

Hmmm…I wonder if Kratos is looking for me. Should I just stay here? Or should I go back to the village? Probably back to the village. Then I could apologize to Kratos and kill the bastard in one blow.

I touched my bite mark again, feeling the depressions along it. I closed my eyes again, trying to imagine what it felt like again. His hands sliding across my back and gripping my shirt, his head buried in my neck, kissing my neck tenderly, as if the skin would break if he just did that.

"Kratos…" I whispered.

"Yuan, I'm sorry…"

My eyes jumped open in shock when I realized my daydream had been real. He really was clinging to me, kissing my neck. His face turned up and his eyes had the most pathetic look to them, like a dog that had just been kicked. I sighed, before reaching up and stroking his cheek.

"I realized it wasn't your fault after a while. You couldn't have meant it, since you really do love me. And I still love you."

"Good. That means that the curse hasn't hit yet…" He murmured into my neck again. My ears caught it instantly.

"What curse?" I asked him. He of course, immediately tried to distract me by kissing my neck, breathing on it like he knew I liked. But I wasn't easily swayed. I pulled him up to look me in the eye.

"Kratos, what curse?"

He looked up at me pathetically again. "Please Yuan, you don't want to know…"

I glared at him. He sighed, his purple eyes drooping.

"The curse is a curse put on everybody that has vampire blood. They say that any time that a vampire takes a human mate, that eventually they'll be scared off because they'd see the monster inside of their love and flee."

I just looked at him. Then I slapped him.

"So **that's** where you got that blasted idea that you were a monster! Listen to me, and listen well: I don't believe in curses. Even if it's happened before, it's only because people were afraid to try and see past it. I'm not like that. I may get mad and storm off, but I would never actually leave you. We've been through so much…I wouldn't throw it all away from something stupid like that. Plus…" my voice dropped to a whisper, my hand finding his cheek to caress it. "I've already accepted that you're a vampire. I wouldn't have it any other way."

The look in his eyes I couldn't ignore nor deny took me over as his lips crashed into mine.

But our little moment was cut short when the small click of a gun being loaded echoed around us. We broke apart to look up at Mithos with his gun pointed right at Kratos' head.

"Well, that was an amazingly corny speech. Now, can we just get this over with?"

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((**Meowzy:** -_griiin_-)) 


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

((**Meowzy:** Awww, your reviews really make me smile sometimes. Anyway, sorry this chapter is a few days late. I was away for the weekend. Enjoy!))

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Chapter Twenty-eight.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I came face to face with a painfully familiar pistol. Mithos again? Why did he always have to show up in dark places? Why always at the most inconvenient time? Of course it was obvious why he always showed up with the intent to kill me. The guy was insane.

Trying to keep my expression as blank as possible, my gaze shifted between the pistol and Mithos himself. He'd probably loaded it with another silver bullet. Though if he shot me straight through the skull, it wouldn't matter what the bullet consisted of. I'd be dead anyway. … I'd be _dead_! He was going to _kill_ me! But I wasn't ready to die yet!

"No!" Yuan stepped in front of me, spreading his arms in a protective manner. "I won't let you shoot him!"

My eyes widened slightly as I saw a fiery determination on the bluenette's features. It was amazing how steady his voice was, considering the circumstances. I wanted to push him away. I wanted to tell him to save himself. Sadly, I found myself rooted to the spot, the shock paralyzing my body.

"Oh, is that so?" Mithos smiled, yet he still did not lower the gun. "Well, there are other options. How does a stake through the heart sound?"

"If you want to murder him, you're going to have to go through me!"

"Yuan…" I murmured softly. Mithos wouldn't take pity on him. He'd kill him too. I think Yuan knew that as well. He was willing to die for me.

For a moment, the blonde looked surprised. Then he started to laugh in a cruel manner. Obviously, he was either not taking Yuan seriously, or he was amused by the fact that a half-elf was willing to throw his life away for someone with vampire blood.

"Alright. Do you want a silver bullet as well, or can I switch to a regular one for you? These things don't come cheap, you know. I wouldn't want to _waste_ one if I can help it."

Yuan grit his teeth, yet said nothing. His eyes narrowed into a glare filled with hatred. I'd learned the hard way not to piss him off too much, but he wouldn't stand a chance against Mithos.

"Yuan, you don't have to do this," I said softly, even though I knew it was in vain.

"Yes, I do! I'm going to protect you," he hissed.

Mithos shook his head sadly, before fixing Yuan with another blank stare. "You should listen to the freak and walk away. I never really enjoy shooting a kinsman as much."

"I'm not running. I have no life without Kratos, so you might as well kill me now," he replied in a harsh voice.

The vampire hunter started to laugh again. A ringing, cold laugh that echoed through the forest. "Oh please! You have no life _with_ him either. The curse will make sure of that."

"I don't believe in curses! Everyone who does is an ignorant fool."

"Oh, is that so?" Mithos stepped forward, pressing the gun against Yuan's forehead. The half-elf flinched for a moment, but still refused to budge. And still, I was frozen on the spot, unable to do anything about it.

"You think it wise to call me ignorant, or a fool? That curse is very real. If anyone can verify that, it would be me," the blonde whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuan demanded.

"You know the legend, don't you? It all started when a vampire betrayed his hunter, killing the one woman he loved. That hunter was one of my ancestors."

Both Yuan and I stared at him blankly, trying to process this information. No… He was bluffing, right? He was just trying to intimidate us. There was no way he could be telling the truth here. Then again… Zelos, who had traveled the world, also said that plenty of vampires told him the curse was real. Then the chances of someone being a descendant of the ancient hunter wouldn't be so small.

Mithos cast his eyes to the heaven for a moment, though treetops were still blocking out most sunlight. "Oh yes, great great great –something- grandfather. His hatred for vampires runs through the generations. May the goddess rest his soul."

"You _must_ be joking," Yuan said, exasperated, though I could hear the doubt in his voice.

"You think I would lie about the Yggdrasill family name?" Mithos questioned, tilting his head in an almost curious way. There was a small pause, in which the bluenette didn't respond, before he continued. "Grieving over the loss of his beloved wife, he delved into the dark arts to condemn the ones responsible. After many years of research, close to his deathbed, he managed to place a curse on all those with vampire blood. A curse that, to this day, remains unbroken. Do you know why that is?"

Again, both Yuan and I remained silent. I could think of quite a few comebacks, each more insulting than the other. But considering the fact that the guy was pressing a gun to Yuan's head, saying any one of them out loud would be a horrible mistake. Mithos probably wasn't really expecting an answer anyway.

"Because vampires are selfish and cruel! No act could _possibly_ be of pure heart, because anything they do counts in their own benefit." Mithos smirked again, looking proud. "Clever, ain't it? I have to give the old geezer credit for that."

"You're insane," I stated, though I'm not sure why. It had been established a long time ago, after all.

"You're too kind." The blonde shot me a pleased glance, before his eyes snapped back to Yuan and the pistol. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Yuan stayed silent and I started to hope against all odds that he would choose to run away.

"Curse or no curse, I'm not moving."

Dammit!

Mithos chuckled, taking a few steps backwards. "Just for that, you get a silver bullet. Well… Bye bye now!"

The pistol was directed to Yuan's heart and I received a strong urge to shove him to the side, in danger of receiving the bullet myself. But the events that followed happened so fast I barely had time to register them, let alone move a muscle.

There were pounding footsteps nearby, muffled by the deck of leaves. Something red flashed before me, taking up most of my sight. There was a loud bang, followed by three completely different screams. The first I soon registered as my own exclamation of shock. The second was similar to this, though I knew the voice belonged to Yuan. For an extremely brief moment I wondered why it originated from beside me.

The third scream… was a cry of pain.

"Zelos!" Yuan hollered.

That's when it fully got through to me. Zelos had arrived on the scene at the last second, roughly pushing the half-elf away to take the shot himself. He'd saved not only Yuan, but me as well. But… _Why_?

Time continued to flow normally as Zelos promptly fell to his knees, both hands clasped over his chest, just below his heart. Though I could not see it from where I was standing, I could smell it distinctly. _Blood_. The red-head groaned in pain, doubling over.

"O-oh man, I thought maybe you were overreacting, but… I suppose I was w-wrong. This _reeeally_ smarts…" he managed to say through clenched teeth.

"You idiot! Why did you do that?" Yuan knelt down next to him, apparently trying to inspect his wound.

"I-I can't very well apologize… when you're d-dead," Zelos gave a strained laugh, though his whole body was starting to shake. I felt my shoulder sting at the horrible memory of what it was like to have a silver bullet in your body.

I cast a quick glance to Mithos to see that the guy was simply standing there, unmoving, watching the red-head's suffering with mild interest. So I took this chance to step forward and crouch beside Zelos as well. The blood… There was so much of it and it wouldn't stop flowing.

"I wanted to save you some p-pain, but I ended up making things… worse."

"Stop talking, idiot!" Yuan reached out to support Zelos' body, slowly allowing him to lie back on the ground. Still, the half-vampire refused to move his hands away from the injury. He probably knew there would be no use in having someone see it. He stared up at the sky, which was still hidden, his gaze filled with pain and perhaps regret.

"Ugh… Tell Sheena… and uncle Botta… I'm s-sorry."

"No! Zelos!" I shook his shoulder roughly, but there was no point.

When I saw the emptiness in those blue eyes, I knew he had gone somewhere where my words could not reach him anymore.

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((**Meowzy:** I wonder if I've ever written an A-U story where someone _doesn't_ die... Eheheh... Eheh... Uhmm... -_runs_-)) 


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

((**Meowzy:** This is Sam's last chapter, unless I'm very much mistaken. So enjoy it and leave a nice review! _Or else_!))

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Chapter Twenty-nine.  
Yuan's P.O.V.

"Oh, damn. I missed," Mithos said, looking at Zelos' dead body, watching the blood pool around him.

"You missed? You _missed?_" I asked, tearing my gaze from his body. Zelos… He died to save me… Why didn't you let me die? You could have had Kratos…

"Yeah, I say I missed, got a problem with that?" Mithos asked, smirking, before pointing his gun straight at my head.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked him calmly. Kratos tensed beside me, and I could see his hand trailing up to undo the clasp on his pendant. I grabbed it, bringing it down next to us. I wouldn't let him break another treaty for this bastard. Mithos noticed this, though, smiling sadistically.

"Oh, are you going to rip out my throat like vampires do best, Kratos?" he asked, as Kratos tried to get his hand free from my grasp.

"I'm seriously considering it," he said, growling.

"No you don't. I won't let you do it," I told him.

"So he can kill you?" he shot back at me, baring his teeth. I wasn't intimidated, though.

"I won't let you blow it just for this worthless bastard."

"It'd be worth it. Trust me. After the living hell he put me through."

I'd never seen Kratos act this vampirish with his pendant on; he must be furious. Of course, I'd forgotten about his other hand, which reached up and snapped the chain. Mithos smirked.

"Good. It's not as fun when they're helpless."

"No!" Ignoring the gun against my head, I whirled around, letting go of his hand and grabbed his face in my hands.

"Yuan…" he growled, showing me his pointy white teeth. I knew Mithos was getting a kick out of this, but I didn't really care at the moment.

"Remember what you said to me once? That you didn't want to turn into a blood-crazed maniac? Please, don't now. I need you."

"Yuan… I won't. But I just need to do this." His red eyes looked into my emerald ones, and tried to convince me. But I wasn't going to budge on this. I wouldn't let him commit murder.

"Would you two stop being all lovey-dovey and let me kill the mortal that's annoying me?" Mithos cut in, his gun pressed against the side of my head. I didn't move, nor did I let go of him.

That's when Sheena leapt from the tree above us, slamming her foot into his hand, making him drop the gun.

But in my surprise I let go of Kratos, and Sheena tried to hit Mithos with a thrown dagger. Tried is the key word, since he dodged it, and threw her away from him into a tree. Kratos realized my hands had dropped away, and lunged at him. He had been so distracted by Sheena his face stayed in the same smirk as Kratos ripped his throat out with his hand, before the vampire instincts overcame him and he fed on the bleeding half-elf.

I looked on, horrified, as Kratos sucked at the blood flowing from his torn throat. Sheena didn't even stop him, didn't even look at him as she crawled over to Zelos' dead body, resting her hand on his chest.

"You idiot. Didn't you know I loved you? You broke my heart… all for that stupid curse…" She started to sob over his body, ignoring the blatant treaty breaking in front of her. I couldn't even look anymore.

Why, Kratos? You said you didn't want to turn into that. Why did you anyway? You're turning into what you fear most.

You're turning into a monster.

He finally snapped out of his bloodlust, but by that time, I wasn't sure how much blood he had actually consumed. Sheena had stopped crying, and was picking up Zelos' body.

"Yuan…"

I turned to look at my sweet vampire that didn't look so sweet anymore. His lips and tongue stained red, blood dripping off his chin. In his unbloodied hand he held the pendant, and with his bloody hand he reached up to touch my cheek.

I turned away from his touch, feeling the wet, slick liquid on my scar, before a few salty tears that escaped my hold washed it away.

"Kratos…why? How could you…?"

"Yuan…" he murmured, trying to reach out to me, but I stepped away.

"You're turning into a monster, Kratos," I told him quietly. I could feel him freeze behind me, his bloody hand still outstretched.

"I thought you said you never would."

I didn't look back as I followed Sheena out of the clearing, silent tears falling from my face.

The curse didn't work. It didn't drive their mates away.

They did it themselves.


	30. Chapter Thirty

((**Meowzy:** Aaand, here we are. The last chapter.  
**Sam:** Thank you, reviewers, for sitting through all the really bad plottwists.  
**Meowzy:** Indeed, thank you! And enjoy!))

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Chapter Thirty.  
Kratos' P.O.V.

I sat by a small stream, deep in Gaoracchia forest, my hand doused in the cold water. The last traces of blood had washed away a long time ago, but for some reason I couldn't stop cleaning myself. It was as if the crimson liquid was still there, staining my hands, my face and wherever else it had splattered. I could still _taste_ it as well. I felt sick to my stomach because of it.

I was a monster.

I was right, and now Yuan knew it too. This was beyond anything I had done before. Far beyond what had happened in that alleyway, after Mithos smashed my pendant. I had _killed_ a half-elf. A humanoid being. Someone… just like Yuan.

What bothered me the most is the lack of control I had over it. I had just felt so angry I didn't care what happened next. I thought that Mithos would deserve whatever he got. When I removed my pendant, I knew things would get bloody. Yet when I snapped out of my vampire state to realize what I had done… I was terrified.

The way I was now, I could no longer return to my old life. I'd have to take a leaf out of Pronyma's book and live in a vast forest, where I could do no harm. If I'd killed now, it could happen again. And again. And this might continue until Sheena or some other hunter finally tracks me down and puts a stake through my heart.

I was wearing the pendant again, but… Would it be enough?

Soft footsteps announced Yuan's arrival long before I looked up. Our gazes met, yet no words were said. We simply continued to stare into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Why did he come back? What was there to say?

It's pointless.

I looked away, calmly pushing myself to my feet. Then I turned to what was hopefully the direction of the forest's exit. Before I'd fully taken one step forward, however, a hand grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

"Wait!"

I whirled around to face him, my eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"I'm sorry. I… I shouldn't have said what I said," he spoke, his gaze straying to the ground. "I was shocked. I didn't mean it."

"But it was the truth," I snapped harshly. "Even though you might not want to accept it, it's the truth."

"That doesn't matter! You just… lost your temper. That's only natural. He deserved what he got for killing Zelos. No… Not just Zelos. For _everyone_ he killed or hurt in any way."

"Don't you get it?" I tugged my arm out of his grip, backing away. "If it's so easy for me to kill… It could happen again!"

If I could murder Mithos without breaking a sweat, who said I couldn't do the same to Yuan? He tended to piss me off plenty of times, after all. If he got me so mad I'd take off my pendant, he was done for!

"It won't happen again, Kratos!" Yuan stepped forward and I continued to step back.

"You just don't understand."

"But you don't _want_ me to understand, do you? You don't _want_ me to feel the same thing you're feeling. That's why you stopped me when I asked Pronyma to turn me into a vampire as well."

"I…"

"Our troubles are over now! You have your pendant and Mithos is dead. We can go back to that time before he interfered! Please…"

That was when I froze in my steps. As those emerald eyes stared deeply into my own, I couldn't help but feel that Yuan had a point. All the trouble… All the battling… All the horrible feelings we both had… They were caused by Mithos Yggdrasill. With him out of the way, would we still fight? Wouldn't we go back to Meltokio, to our apartments, to live our lives as normally as we could? _Together_?

"Yuan…" I extended a hand to him. "Do you promise to be mine forever? Do you promise that you will never do anything stupid ever again? If you do, I'll promise never to remove my pendant again."

Instead of being surprised because of my request, or being offended, Yuan smiled brightly. It was as if this was exactly what he wanted. He reached out and took my hand in his own, pulling me closer. "Of course!"

Relief washed over me. Even after all this, he still wanted me back. Is this what love is all about? Ignoring one's flaws?

I wrapped my arms around Yuan's shoulders, gently kissing him on the lips. He eagerly returned the gesture, one hand running up and down my back, stroking my spine. For a while, we simply stood there like that, in the middle of Gaoracchia forest.

But it couldn't stay like this forever.

"What about Zelos?" I asked, breaking off at last, at the same time trying to catch my breath.

Yuan cast his eyes to the ground, sighing. "He's going to be buried outside Mizuho village. The funeral is a few days from now. One of Sheena's ninja friends hurried to Meltokio to send a message to Botta."

"I see…"

Zelos didn't deserve what he got. I knew that much for sure. All we could do now was make his funeral as beautiful as possible, in his honor.

* * *

It was a week later that Yuan and I reappeared in Meltokio, outside our apartment building. The place where boxes of Yuan's belongings were dropped onto the sidewalk by shady movers. We had accompanied Botta all the way from Mizuho back to Meltokio, but now it was time for us to return home as well. 

Quietly, we made our way into the hall, passing our mailboxes, which were stuffed to the brim with forgotten letters. We started to walk up the steps, the place where we first met, when Yuan oh-so-clumsily decided to bump into me. This was also the place where he taught me how to slide down banisters, and where he finally caught me after I decided to run away from him.

At last, we reached the doors to our apartments. I started to dig through my pockets for my keys in reflex, though I wasn't really sure whether I wanted to enter. My apartment was the first place Yuan and I truly made love. It was because we left that place to get coffee, that we later ran into Mithos Yggdrasill and all our troubles began.

Perhaps I should just enter alone and lock the door behind me, never to reappear again.

"-_Kratos_!"

"Hm?" I looked up, mildly confused.

"I said, do you want to come inside for some dinner?" Yuan asked, sounding a bit impatient.

"Oh, uh…" I glanced to my door for a moment, then back again. "Are you sure you want me inside?"

"Ah, come on! That's not the Kratos I remember!" the half-elf crossed his arms, looking offended. "The Kratos I remember would grin slyly and say '_What kind of person would I be to turn down an offer like that?_', and then kiss my hand passionately."

For a few seconds, I was dumbstruck. Then, however, I started to chuckle. "Was I really that bad?"

"No. You were that _good_," Yuan corrected me. He then jammed his keys into the lock and, with a click, swung the door open. "So, are you coming or not?"

I paused for a moment, my right hand moving up to stroke the cold metal of my new pendant. I had a new treaty. Yuan promised he would never do something stupid again. He promised he would be mine forever. Isn't that what I always wanted?

"Now, what kind of person would I be to turn down an offer like that?" I smirked widely, running a hand through my unruly hair.

With a bright smile, Yuan led the way inside. Sure, it would take some time, but even after all that's happened, I would be able to find the old Kratos again. Even if I was a monster, even if my blood was cursed… As long as my heart was pure, nothing would drive my love away.


End file.
